In a defamation case, a Lucknow civil court has ruled that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh must compensate former U.P. Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mahendra Singh with Rs 1 lakh. The court concluded that Sanjay Singh was responsible for defaming the former minister.

On Tuesday, Judge Kamal Kant Gupta issued the order, ruling in favor of the BJP leader in the defamation suit. The judge specified that if Sanjay Singh doesn't remit the compensation within two months, Mahendra Singh will be eligible for 6% annual interest from the date of the judgment until the actual payment date.

In August 2021, during a press conference in Lucknow, the AAP leader reportedly made accusations of corruption against the BJP leader.

Following this, the video of the press conference was disseminated through social media channels. In response to the defamatory statements, the U.P. Minister filed a civil defamation suit with the local court, aiming to seek compensation.

The court determined that the accusations made against the BJP leader lacked a reasonable basis. Furthermore, it highlighted that a police investigation had corroborated the falsity of the allegations leveled against the BJP leader.

The court concluded that while it couldn't dismiss the possibility of malicious intent, Sanjay Singh had unquestionably acted hastily and negligently by making definitive remarks that directly named an individual.