BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has filed a ₹2-crore criminal defamation case against former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, as the current public debate over India’s GDP data and a dispute over an alleged 2018 interaction has turned into a public dispute.
Dubey said on Monday evening, September 28, 2026, that the case had been filed at Patiala House court in Delhi and the Delhi High Court. He said the matter would now be decided through the legal process. Hindustan Times reported his statement on September 29.
How the GDP dispute began.
The wider dispute started in September, when Garg questioned the government’s reported 7.8% real GDP growth for the first quarter of 2026-27.
Garg also questioned the interpretation of the latest GDP figures in a column written by The Quint on September 2 and argued that the numbers did not reflect the pace of economic activity as the government presented them. He also raised questions about revisions to earlier GDP data. These were Garg’s interpretations of official statistics.
Dubey later criticized Garg's views and revived his earlier concerns about Garg's approach to economic policy.
The 2018 Meeting Allegation
The dispute later became personal when Garg discussed an alleged interaction with Dubey during his time in the Finance Ministry.
Garg said in a podcast that Dubey had approached him in 2018 about a matter involving the LIC. Garg said he declined to intervene and directed Dubey towards the appropriate government department.
Dubey has denied that the alleged meeting took place. He has maintained that the claims were false and malicious. Garg has stood by his account of the interaction.
Dubey had earlier sent a Legal Notice
Before announcing the defamation case, Dubey had sent Garg a legal notice dated September 21.
According to reports, the notice called for Garg to withdraw the allegations, issue an unconditional apology and remove the podcast and related clips. It also warned of criminal defamation proceedings under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with civil proceedings for damages and an injunction.
Garg did not withdraw his remarks and Dubey announced further legal action.
Dubey also revived his 2018 Letter
The current issue put an old letter back in focus as well.
In March 2018, Dubey had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with concerns of Garg's economic policy when Garg was Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs.
The letter criticized what Dubey termed as a restrictive fiscal consolidation approach and advocated for a bit more flexibility to support infrastructure spending and investment. The letter emerged again recently after Garg made comments on GDP data.
Garg's Position
Garg has rejected Dubey's account of their past days and has argued that his account of the 2018 meeting was correct. He has also contested Dubey's story to make his departure from the Finance Ministry, claiming that his transfer to the Power Ministry was consensual and that he later went into voluntary retirement.
The allegations and counter-allegations remain part of the dispute and have not been established as findings by a court.
When did this happen?
The latest legal action was made on Monday, September 28, 2026, when Dubey claimed to have filed the ₹2-crore defamation case. This followed his legal notice to Garg on September 21. The wider public conflict had been brewing since earlier in September, when Garg had commented about GDP data and the claims that he had been involved with him in 2018.
