A Delhi court has summoned AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi in a defamation case filed by Praveen Shankar Kapoor, the media head of Delhi BJP. Atishi is scheduled to appear before the court on June 29, following allegations she made that the BJP attempted to bribe and poach AAP legislators.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, also named in the defamation case, has not been summoned. The court determined that there was no prima facie offense against Kejriwal, thus no case was made against him.

Kapoor claimed that Atishi's allegations damaged his and the BJP's reputation. The court took cognizance of the allegations, identifying Atishi as an accused and ordering her court appearance on June 29.

The defamation case, filed on April 30, stems from AAP's claims of BJP poaching attempts. Kapoor cited a social media post by Kejriwal alleging that the BJP had contacted seven AAP MLAs, offering them Rs 25 crore to switch parties. Additionally, he referenced Atishi's public claim that she was approached to join the BJP to "save" her "political career," with threats of arrest by the Enforcement Directorate if she refused.

At a press conference in April, Atishi stated, "The BJP has approached me through someone very close. They have asked me to join the BJP and said this will save my political career. They have threatened that if I don't switch over, ED will arrest me within a month." She further claimed that she and her colleagues Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghav Chadha, and Durgesh Pathak were also at risk of arrest.

Kapoor's petition sought the withdrawal of Atishi's remarks and a public apology on television and social media.

Reacting to the court's summons to Atishi, Arvind Kejriwal reiterated his stance that AAP leaders are being targeted with baseless charges. He tweeted, "I had said earlier that they will arrest Atishi next. They are planning to do so now. Complete dictatorship. In completely flimsy, frivolous, and false cases, they are arresting ALL leaders of AAP one by one. Every single opposition leader will be arrested if Modi ji comes back to power. AAP is not important. Saving our dear country from dictatorship is important."