New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS): Councillor Chhail Bihari Goswami of the BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation has filed a criminal defamation suit in a Delhi court against several Aam Aadmi Party leaders for alleged defamatory remarks.

In his application, Goswami claimed that Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and other AAP leaders Atishi, Raghav Chadha, Durgesh Pathak and Saurabh Bharadwaj levelled false allegations of misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 2,500 crore in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.

"The false allegations and defamatory remarks levelled by the accused have tarnished my image as I am part of an identifiable group," said BJP leader Goswami, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the North Delhi MC, in his plea.

He said that these allegations were made in order to gain wrongful political advantage and had no connection with reality.

"These are sensational charges deliberately made to grab media attention and to divert public attention from real facts that the Delhi government is not giving the Municipal Corporations their due shares and consequently the MCD workers, teachers and nurses go unpaid.

"These are malicious and deliberate statements in the nature of vilification. That complainant is anguished as the accusations levelled by the accused persons are not only false but an insult to all those who have devoted their lives for the development of Delhi," Goswami added.

The Councillor urged the court to take cognisance of his plea, and prosecute and punish the accused for the commission of offence of defamation under Sections 500 (punishment for defamation), and 34 (common intentions)/120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.