Kejriwal, Sisodia to appear before court on defamation case

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and AAP leader Yogendra Yadav are likely to appear before a court in Delhi on Tuesday in connection with a criminal defamation complaint filed on them by an advocate in 2013.

According to reports, Metropolitan Magistrate Muneesh Garg is expected to pronounce his order on the framing of charges against the trio, who were earlier released on bail after they had appeared before the court on June 4, 2014.

The court had earlier reserved its order for February 11, and had granted personal exemption to the three AAP leaders, but said that they must positively appear before it on March 17, 2015.

The complaint was filed by advocate Surender Kumar Sharma, who had alleged that in 2013 he was approached by AAP volunteers and told to contest the Delhi Assembly election on a party ticket on the premise that Kejriwal was reportedly pleased with his social services.

Sharma claims that he filled up the application form to contest the polls after being told by Sisodia and Yadav that the AAP's Political Affairs Committee had decided to give him the ticket. However, it was later denied to him.

In October 2013, the complainant claimed that articles in leading newspapers carried defamatory, unlawful and derogatory words used by the accused persons, which had lowered his reputation before the Bar as well as in the larger society.