The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its order on a plea filed by Tejashwi Yadav, prominent leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), who is seeking the transfer of a criminal defamation complaint against him. The case is currently pending in an Ahmedabad court, where Yadav is accused of making a controversial remark stating, "Only Gujaratis can be thugs."

A bench comprising Justices A S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan acknowledged a fresh statement of apology submitted by Yadav. The court had directed him on January 29 to file a proper statement withdrawing his alleged remark, and on January 19, Yadav had filed an affidavit in the apex court, formally retracting his "Gujarati thugs" statement.

"We will pass orders," remarked the bench, indicating that a decision on the transfer of the case is imminent.

The criminal defamation complaint against Tejashwi Yadav was filed under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in a Gujarat court. The complainant, Haresh Mehta, a local businessman and activist, had alleged that Yadav's comments during a media interaction in Patna in March 2023 had defamed all Gujaratis.

In his statement, Yadav had reportedly said, "Only Gujaratis can be thugs in the present situation, and their fraud will be forgiven. Who will be responsible if they run away with the money belonging to the LIC or banks?" These remarks led to the filing of a defamation complaint against the then Bihar deputy chief minister.

The Supreme Court, while hearing Yadav's plea, had earlier stayed the proceedings in the criminal defamation case and issued notice to the Gujarat resident who filed the complaint. The Gujarat court, after conducting a preliminary inquiry under section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in August, found sufficient grounds to summon Tejashwi Yadav.

The RJD leader's plea for the transfer of the case to a location outside the state, preferably Delhi, is based on the argument that a fair trial may be compromised if the proceedings continue in Ahmedabad. The apex court is now expected to make a decision on the matter in the near future.