The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday has intervened to stay defamation proceedings initiated against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh. The case revolves around comments made by Kejriwal and Singh concerning the academic degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The stay, granted for a period of four weeks, provides temporary relief to the accused politicians. The bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta not only stayed the proceedings but also directed the Gujarat High Court to promptly address a plea for interim relief filed by Kejriwal and Singh during this period.

The genesis of the defamation complaint traces back to Gujarat University, which accused Kejriwal and Singh of making "defamatory" statements against the institution for not disclosing Prime Minister Modi's degree. A magistrate had summoned the two politicians to face trial in April of the previous year.

In September of that year, the Gujarat High Court declined to prioritize the appeals filed by Kejriwal and Singh against the trial court's summons. Moreover, the High Court, in August, refused to grant an interim stay on the proceedings, a decision subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court.

The roots of the defamation case can be traced to a March 2023 ruling by the Gujarat High Court, which declared that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was not obligated to furnish Modi's degree and post-graduate degree certificate under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act). Justice Biren Vaishnav, a single judge, set aside the Chief Information Commission's order, directing the PMO, Gujarat University, and Delhi University to disclose details of Modi's academic qualifications. Importantly, the High Court imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on Arvind Kejriwal for what it deemed as a misuse of the RTI Act for political purposes.

In November 2023, Justice Vaishnav rejected a review plea challenging the earlier verdict, maintaining that the imposition of costs on Kejriwal was justified due to the politicization of the issue. Subsequently, in December 2023, Kejriwal appealed this decision before a division bench of the High Court, and as of now, the appeal is still pending.