Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) leader Shazia Ilmi on Friday apologised to former union minister Kapil Sibal’s son, Amit Sibal for her remarks in a criminal defamation case that was filed against her in 2013.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shazia Ilmi on Friday apologised to former union minister Kapil Sibal’s son, Amit Sibal for her remarks in a criminal defamation case that was filed against her in 2013. The defamation case against Ilmi was filed by Sibal for her remarks when she was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party. In a joint application submitted by Ilmi and Sibal before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, it was informed that the apology tendered by the BJP leader was accepted by Amit Sibal. Ilmi was an AAP member when the alleged statements were made in a press conference. The court reserved order on their application for April 19.

The complainant submitted that Ilmi has tendered an apology to Sibal through advocate Nishant in which she has said that the allegations that were made by her were unfounded and that she regretted making them. Therefore she apologised for the same. Sibal told the court that he has accepted her apology. The court accepted the application and reserved its order on it. However, the proceedings against former AAP leader and advocate Prashant Bhushan will still continue.

This came in the wake of a joint application filed by co-accused in the matter – Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia – with the complainant on March 19 seeking to settle the matter since apologies by both the AAP leaders were accepted by him.

On September 20, 2014, the lower court had put all the four accused on trial for the charge under section 500 (defamation) of the IPC. However, the court had acquitted Kejriwal and Sisodia on March 19 after the leaders tendered an apology to lawyer Amit Sibal who accepted their plea. Last month, Kejriwal and Sisodia had apologised for making “unfounded allegations” against Sibal in a letter.