Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav (not in pic) have been issues NBWs | Photo Credit: BCCL

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday issued a non-bailable warrant against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav for not appearing before the court in a defamation complaint. The criminal defamation complaint was filed by an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket aspirant in 2013, news agency PTI reported.

The warrants were issued by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal against AAP leaders Kejriwal and Sisodia, and Yadav, who was an AAP leader at the time of the incident, after observing the no one was present from the accused's side during the hearing of the complaint lodged by advocate Surendra Kumar Sharma.

Sharma has alleged that in 2013, a few volunteers of AAP had approached him and had asked him to contest the Delhi Assembly elections on a party ticket, claiming that AAP chief Kejriwal was impressed with his social services.

Subsequently, Sharma said that he filled up the application form to contest the elections after Yadav and Sisodia had told him that AAP's Political Affairs Committee had decided to give him the ticket. However, he was later not given the promised ticket.

On October 14, 2013, the complainant had alleged that articles in leading dailies carried "defamatory, unlawful and derogatory words used by the accused persons" which he claimed had lowered his reputation in the Bar and the society.

The AAP leaders had opposed the complaint, stating that it was the party's prerogative to decide on cancellation or allotment of an election ticket. They also alleged that the complainant had not shared correct information with them pertaining to the cases pending against him.

The trial court had asked the three leaders to be present before it in the matter related to the complaint. However, it also granted bail to Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Yadav after they had appeared before it. The trial court had said that there was prima facie material to summon the accused. The case has been registered under sections 499, 500 (defamation) and 34 (common intention of the Indian Penal Code.

