A Delhi court on Saturday summoned Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly using the derogatory word ‘thulla’ for referring to policemen. The court has asked Kejriwal to appear before it on July 14.
In July last year, the Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief generated controversy by saying, “If a Delhi police ‘thulla’ seeks money from a street vendor, that is not acceptable. We will surely file a case against that.”
Following the remark a Delhi Police constable had filed a criminal defamation case in a court against Kejriwal. The complaint was filed by a constable, posted at Govind Puri police station, in which he has claimed that he was insulted by Kejriwal’s remark.
“…Using a derogatory and demeaning term like ‘thulla’ to refer to police personnel is equivalent to referring to all Delhi Police officials as lethargic and unproductive. This word has, therefore, harmed the reputation of the complainant in the eyes of general public including his family, relative and friends,” the plea filed by constable Harvinder said.
Kejriwal had then apologised for using the slang word against Delhi Police, saying it was not intended for “honest” personnel of the force.
Kejriwal said that he had used “thulla” word against those policemen who “harass” poor people for money, adding that strict action needs to be taken against such personnel.
In October another criminal defamation complaint filed was filed against the Delhi CM for the ‘thulla’ remark.
(With inputs from PTI)