Just in: The Delhi High Court rejects Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea to stay the proceedings before a trial court in a criminal defamation case filed against him and other AAP leaders by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The court said that Kejriwal's plea is devoid of merit.


The high court had reserved its verdict on July 25 on Kejriwal's plea challenging the trial court's May 19 order by which it had turned down the Delhi Chief Minister's request to adjourn hearing on a criminal defamation case before it, till the high court decided a related civil suit.


As per Kejriwal's plea, there are two casesone civil and the other criminalfiled against AAP leaders on the same allegations and the trial court should have stayed the proceedings in the matter, but it had declined the matter.