BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Friday urged Home Minister Rajnath Singh to withdraw the “erred” affidavit in SC advocating for retaining the criminal defamation laws. Swamy accused certain MHA officials for “copying the redundant Nazi and Emergency period” arguments for curtailing freedom of expression.
“The Union Government’s counter affidavit has been filed by Dr RK Mitra who is Joint Secretary in Home Affairs Ministry. The counter affidavit opposes my Writ Petition but uses arguments which were made popular during Nazi Germany by Goebbels and later in the Emergency in India by Gandhi,” said Swamy citing specific three examples in the affidavit supporting retaining the criminal defamation.
Swamy is the main petitioner in the Supreme Court for scrapping Sec 499 and 500 of IPC arguing for decriminalisation of defamation. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and several media organizations also became co-petitioners in the case. For the past two weeks the arguments are going on this case before the bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Prafulla C.Pant. “I urge you therefore in the interest of democracy and reputation of our Party and Government, that this counter affidavit be withdrawn forthwith,” said Swamy in the letter to Union Home Minister.