Court exempts Kejriwal from personal appearence for today

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accused in a criminal defamation complaint filed by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, was on Saturday granted exemption from personal appearance for the day by a court here.

Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh also granted exemption from personal appearance to Bidhuri for on Saturday and posted the matter for hearing on September 3, as both parties were not present.

The judge granted the relief to Kejriwal after his counsel submitted that the Chief Minister was in Goa to attend some public meetings there.

Kejriwal was granted bail by the court on July 8 on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 10,000 after he appeared before the court.

He was summoned as accused by the court in February this year on a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by Bidhuri, an MP from South Delhi parliamentary constituency, under section 500 (defamation) of the IPC.

Bidhuri had alleged that Kejriwal had defamed him during an interview to a news channel.

He had claimed that during the interview, Kejriwal had falsely said that criminal cases were pending against Bidhuri and a Congress leader but the Delhi Police was not taking action against them.

Bidhuri claimed that no case was pending against him and Kejriwal had defamed him by giving such a statement.