NEW DELHI, Aug 20: Close on the heels of the Central Bureau of Investigation holding investigations against the Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi on Saturday acquitted the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia and social activist Yogendra Yadav (former AAP leader) in a criminal defamation case.
The case was filed by a lawyer Surender Sharma, who claimed that his candidature from AAP was cancelled in 2013 assembly elections at last moment but the report published in various newspapers quoting the three leaders were defamatory to his reputation.
The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vidhi Gupta on Saturday while passing the order said the media articles cited by the complainant has been perused but the no case of defamation was established from these reports.
All three persons were present in the court while the order was pronounced by the court on Saturday.
The case was filed by lawyer Sharma who died due to ill health during the case hearing but his nephew pursued the case. In his petition, Sharma has claimed that his candidature from AAP was cancelled in 2013 and published in various newspapers in a defamatory manner.
He had alleged in his complaint that in 2013 he was approached by several volunteers of AAP just before the election, who had asked him to contest the Delhi Assembly elections on Aam Aadmi Party ticket, saying Arvind Kejriwal was pleased with his social services.
He later decided to fill up the application form to contest the election after being told by Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav that AAP’s Political Affairs Committee had decided to give him the ticket. However, it was later denied to him.
On October 14, 2013, the complainant Surender Kumar Sharma claimed that articles in various leading newspapers carried “defamatory, unlawful and derogatory words used by these political persons which have lowered his reputation in the society.”
(Manas Dasgupta)