'Floccinaucinihilipilification': Why Delhi Court Said This In Defamation Case Against Sitharaman

Last Updated:April 02, 2026, 09:27 IST

The court dismissed the criminal defamation complaint by former AAP leader Somnath Bharti's wife Lipika Mitra against Finance Minister Sitharaman, calling it "worthless".

A Delhi court has dismissed a criminal defamation case against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman by Lipika Mitra, wife of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti, describing it as “floccinaucinihilipilification".

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal of the Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday declined to proceed with the complaint, saying that Mitra’s case was nothing but a “valueless or worthless material" that had been stretched too long.

“The word is ‘floccinaucinihilipilification’, which implies ‘something valueless or worthless’. The present complaint is nothing but the word stated above, wherein a valueless or worthless material has been stretched too long," the Court said.

The court also observed that a political opponent cannot be called to have defamed the other, when they are presenting certain scenarios against an opposite candidate. “The press conference, when seen in totality seems like narrations and political assertions made before the media and the public by Sitharaman," the judge said.

The complaint, filed by Mitra, had alleged that Sitharaman made defamatory, false and malicious statements concerning her marital life with Bharti during a press conference held on May 17, 2024, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

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Mitra alleged that the remarks were widely broadcast on television and digital platforms with the intent to tarnish her husband’s public image and adversely impact his electoral prospects as an INDIA Bloc candidate from the New Delhi parliamentary constituency.

She said the alleged statements caused Bharti immense mental anguish and inflicted reputational damage not only within India but also internationally, given his status as an IIT Delhi alumnus with a wide global network.

Mitra had urged the court to summon Sitharaman for trial and to restrain her from making or circulating similar statements in the future, along with directions for the removal of the purportedly defamatory content from various platforms. However, the judge said Sitharaman’s remarks were neither imputed towards her, nor any of the statements was prima facie defamatory.

“The statements made by the respondent are nothing but political opposition and antagonism aimed at AAP and Indi Alliance. Nothing was aimed at the complainant Lipika Mitra, and there is no imputation against her. I do not see anything in this matter to proceed further and I am denying cognisance," the judge said while rejecting the plea.

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