Bailable warrant issued against former MLA Abid Ansari in defamation case

A court in Srinagar issued a bailable warrant against Peoples Conference leader and former MLA Zadibal Abid Ansari Thursday in a defamation case filed by senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar.

The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate issued the warrant against Ansari after he failed to appear before the court in connection with the criminal defamation case.

Akhtar had filed the case against Ansari and BJP leader Khalid Jehangir in November after the duo did not tender a public apology for levelling allegations against the PDP leader which the complainant claimed were baseless.

The PDP leader has also filed a complaint against three journalists -- Arnab Goswami and two of his colleagues for airing the "baseless allegations" and defamatory report on his channel.

Khalid Jehangir appeared before the court and submitted bail bonds.

The court has directed all the defendants to be present on the next date of hearing on February 9, 2019.

Ansari, who was a PDP MLA from 2014 till the dissolution of the assembly last month, and Jehangir had separately levelled allegations against Akhtar that he had indulged in malpractices during his tenure as the Public Works minister in the PDP-BJP government.

Jehangir, who was vice chairman of Projects Construction Corporation, wrote a letter to the Governor levelling allegations of malpractices in allotment of works by the minister.

Without naming Akhtar, Jehangir alleged that then Public Works Minister had allotted prestigious projects to his blue-eyed persons on verbal directions.