New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday acquitted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a criminal defamation case filed by a former aide of Congress leader Sheila Dikshit.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal granted relief to the AAP leader citing lack of evidence against him.
The AAP chief was accused by Dikshit’s then political secretary Pawan Khera of making objectionable remarks against the former chief minister during power tariff hike protests in October 2012.
Appearing for Kejriwal, senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog contended that the complaint was ex-facie illegal and sought a stay on the trial court proceedings.
Nandrajog, however, also informed the high court about the apex court’s decision that such matters have to be decided or disposed of within a year.
In his plea, Kejriwal had questioned Khera’s locus standi to file the complaint and also sought quashing of the January 2013 summons to him and the subsequent proceedings in the matter.