A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed a criminal complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor accusing him of defamation during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal refused to summon Tharoor, saying that the complaint had “no ingredients of defamation”.

The suit claimed that Tharoor made false and defamatory remarks about Chandrasekhar during the general election, severely damaging his professional and personal reputation.

Tharoor contested and won the parliamentary election against Chandrasekhar from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram constituency.

On Monday, the Delhi High Court, however, issued summons to Tharoor in a related civil defamation suit where Chandrasekhar has sought Rs 10 crore in damages for the loss of reputation. The High Court will hear the matter next on April 28.

Indian law permits defamation cases to be filed as either a criminal offence or a civil liability. Both cases be pursued together, and a civil claim can continue even if the criminal case fails, and the other way round.

Separately, the Congress leader was also booked for carrying out an allegedly false campaign against Chandrasekhar.

The case was registered on April 15 on a complaint by BJP leader JR Padmakumar, who accused Tharoor of making defamatory statements against Chandrasekhar during a television programme.