New Delhi, Oct. 10 -- A Rouse Avenue court on Saturday dismissed the criminal defamation complaint filed by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Parvesh Verma against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, refusing to take cognisance of the case. While passing the order, the court observed that the imputations made by Bharadwaj were like asking questions and did not amount to defamation.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Neha Mittal of the Rouse Avenue District Court declined to take cognisance of the complaint. When a magistrate refuses cognisance, the complaint ends at the threshold: no summons is issued to the accused, and no trial begins.

Verma's complaint concerned social media posts Bharadwaj made in May 2026 about an in...