The Supreme Court has rejected a request from Arvind Kejriwal, the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), to halt the criminal defamation proceedings initiated by Gujarat University related to his comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree.

In his petition, Kejriwal contested a Gujarat High Court ruling that declined to dismiss the summons issued in the defamation case regarding his alleged statements about PM Modi's educational qualifications.

A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S. V. N. Bhatti noted that another Supreme Court bench had previously dismissed a similar plea from AAP leader Sanjay Singh on April 8, indicating the need for a uniform approach in such cases.

The Gujarat High Court had previously dismissed pleas from both Kejriwal and Singh on February 16, which sought to quash the summons issued by a trial court in the defamation case brought by Gujarat University. Their subsequent attempts to challenge this decision in a sessions court were also rejected.