Bail granted to suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad in defamation case

A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad and two others in a criminal defamation complaint of an under-19 cricketer's father for allegedly making false statements with "mala fide intention" regarding his son's selection in team for Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh granted the relief to Azad, former cricketer Surender Khanna and Sameer Bahadur, who is also associated with cricket, on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 each and one surety of like amount.

The court, meanwhile, granted exemption from personal appearance to former cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi, who was also summoned as accused in the case, for Friday after his counsel submitted that he could not appear because he was unwell.

The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing on November 16 while asking the complainant to provide all the case-related documents to the accused.

After the proceedings, Azad alleged that the present and several other cases have been filed against him because he raised Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA)'s corruption issue which allegedly took place during Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's tenure as the cricketing body's President.

"Those who had to be in jail are filing cases against me. But I am determined to send all the theives to jail," Azad said outside the court.

The court had on July 11 summoned as accused Azad, Bedi and two others after noting that prima facie there was enough material to summon them as accused in the case.

Complainant Tejbir Singh had earlier told the court that a media briefing was held by Azad, Bedi, Khanna and Bahadur, in which they had alleged that Rs 25 lakh was paid for the young cricketer's selection.

"The said the allegation has brought disrepute to the player who is performing well and has made it into the playing squad on his own merit," the counsel had said.

He had said that whatever may be the motive of the accused in making the statement, whether for politics or to highlight corruption in DDCA, the young cricketer's name has been allegedly defamed.

"All accused have been members of the Cricket Improvement Committee and in furtherance of conspiracy and in connivance, have committed several offences besides offence of defamation as defined and made punishable under section 499 and 500 of IPC," the plea said.

"Such explicit false imputations and malafide statements have been made with specific intention to defame complainant and his son and with intent to lowering their reputation and esteem in the eyes of the public at large," it said.