New Delhi: A city court on Tuesday summoned as accused sacked minister Kapil Mishra for allegedly defaming Delhi health minister Satyender Jain by levelling graft charges against him.

Metropolitan magistrate Shefali Barnala Tandon directed Mr Mishra to appear on January 20, 2018. Mr Jain had filed a criminal complaint alleging that Mr Mishra had made defamatory statements against him in the media. In his pre-summoning evidence, he had deposed that Mr Mishra had also used his official Twitter handle to defame him. The court had earlier taken cognisance of two complaints filed by Mr Jain, one against Mr Mishra and another criminal complaint against BJP MLA M.S. Sirsa.

Mr Jain filed the complaints on May 19. If convicted, the offence of defamation entails a maximum punishment of two years. Mr Jain in his plea against Mr Mishra, who was earlier heading the water department, submitted that on May 7 he had made a statement accusing him of giving a bribe to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 5. He had also accused Mr Sirsa of making libellous statements by levelling corruption allegation against him.