New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on August 5 issued notices to Tehelka news portal CEO Tarun Tejpal and the state on a petition challenging a trial court order dismissing a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by Samata Party leader Jaya Jaitly for allegedly linking her name to the armsgate scandal.

While issuing the notices, a division bench of Justice Usha Mehra and Justice Pradeep Nandrajog asked the respondents to file their reply by November 18, the next date of hearing.

Jaitly's counsel S S Gandhi submitted before the court that Tehelka has further published a "defamatory" article against the Samata Party leader and requested the court to reverse the trial court order.

Metropolitan magistrate Gulshan Kumar had on July 19 dismissed Jaitly's criminal defamation complaint against Tejpal saying, "no case is made out against the accused".

Jaitly had filed the criminal complaint against Tejpal for allegedly showing her in bad light by dragging her name into the alleged scandal.

While terming the statements displayed on Tehelka website as "totally false" the Samata Party leader denied that she misused office or indulged in corruption or that she "ever received supposed arms dealers and middlemen or accepted any sum of money, including Rs two lakh in exchange as alleged by the portal.

The article was displayed on the website on February 26 2002 accusing Jaitly of misusing her office and indulging in corruption, she alleged.

PTI