Bailable warrants against Shinde, Chidambaram, Azad

A sessions court today issued bailable warrants against former Union ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad, P Chidambaram and Sushilkumar Shinde, as they or their lawyers did not appear with regard to a private complaint seeking registration of FIR against them as also former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
Two laywers -- B Mallikarjuna and Naganna -- have sought registration of criminal case against Singh, Gandhi and a clutch of ministers in Singh's cabinet, alleging that all of them were responsible for the violence that took place during the agitation for separate Telangana state.
Since Azad, Chidambaram and Shinde received the court's notices but their lawyers did not appear, the court issued bailable warrants.

Earlier, the magistrate's court had rejected the lawyers' plea for registration of criminal case against Singh and others, so the two complainants moved the sessions court.
The next hearing is on September 8.