A Delhi court on Friday issued notice to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in connection with a criminal defamation complaint filed by Lipika Mitra, the wife of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Paras Dalal of Rouse Avenue Courts directed Sitharaman to appear on June 12 at 12:30 PM, observing that the matter is currently at the stage of cognizance. “In compliance with the first proviso to Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the proposed accused is to be given an opportunity of being heard,” the court stated.

Mitra has alleged that Sitharaman made and published defamatory and derogatory statements about her during a press conference held on May 17, 2024, amid the Lok Sabha election campaign. The remarks, she claims, were aired on Republic TV and NDTV and uploaded to YouTube.

The complaint invokes Sections 356(1) and 356(2) of the BNS, 2023, which deal with defamation, asserting that the statements were false, malicious, and intended to damage the public image of her husband, who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the New Delhi Parliamentary Constituency as an INDIA alliance candidate.

Mitra contends that the remarks caused “immense mental anguish” to Bharti and harmed his standing as a public representative. She further alleges that the Finance Minister’s statements were part of a deliberate attempt to harm their family life and reputation.

“The accused is deliberately attempting to harm a marriage that the complainant and her husband have worked to preserve. In doing so, she has caused mental agony not just to the couple but also to their children. The intent was to tarnish the reputation and social standing of the complainant's husband,” the complaint states.