Amid CBI Crackdown, Delhi Court Acquits CM Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia In 2013 Defamation Case

Lawyer Surender Sharma had claimed that his candidature from the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party was cancelled in 2013 Assembly elections at the last moment. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia

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New Delhi: Amid CBI crackdown in an alleged corruption case in the implementation of Delhi Excise Policy, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia got a relief from Delhi Court in connection with a criminal defamation case filed against them in 2013. Along with Kejriwal and Sisodia, former leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Yogendra Yadav were acquitted by Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday in a criminal defamation case filed by lawyer Surendra Sharma, reported news agency ANI. 

As per the report, Sharma had claimed that his candidature from the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party was cancelled in 2013 Assembly elections at the last moment. 

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vidhi Gupta on Saturday while passing the order said the media articles cited by the complainant had been perused, however, the complainant could not establish a case of defamation from these reports.

All the three persons — Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Yogendra Yadav — were present in the court while the order was pronounced on Saturday. 

The case was filed by a lawyer Surender Kumar Sharma who later passed away due to ill health during the hearing of the case after which his case was pursued by his nephew. According to Sharma, he had filed a defamation complaint against these leaders and pleaded that his candidature from AAP was cancelled in 2013 and published in various newspapers in a defamatory manner.

Surender Kumar Sharma, in his complaint, had alleged 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.

Later he filled up the application form to contest the election after he was told by Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav that the party's Political Affairs Committee had decided to give him the ticket, but later he was denied. 

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.

On Friday, CBI raided residence and office of Sisodia and 30 other locations in connection with the Delhi liquor scam.