SC Quashes Defamation Complaint Against Tejashwi Yadav for 'Only Gujaratis Can Be Thugs' Remark

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the defamation complaint against RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav over his alleged "only Gujaratis can be thugs" remark. A bench of Justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan granted the relief to Yadav after noting that he has withdrawn his statement.

"We have quashed the complaint," the bench said. The top court on January 29 had directed Yadav to file a "proper statement" withdrawing his alleged remark that "only Gujaratis can be thugs".

Yadav on January 19 filed an affidavit in the apex court withdrawing his alleged "Gujarati thugs" remark.

The top court, while hearing the RJD leader's plea, had earlier stayed the proceedings in the criminal defamation complaint and issued notice to the Gujarat resident who had filed it in an Ahmedabad court.

The Gujarat court had in August conducted a preliminary inquiry against Yadav under section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and found sufficient grounds to summon him on the complaint filed by Haresh Mehta, a local businessman and activist.

According to the complaint, Yadav, while talking to the media in Patna in March 2023, had said, "Only Gujaratis can be thugs in the present situation, and their fraud will be forgiven." Mehta claimed Yadav's comments defamed all Gujaratis.