Arvind Kejriwal gets bail in defamation case

A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a defamation case filed by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri. Metropolitan magistrate Harvinder Singh granted bail to Mr Kejriwal after he appeared in the court in pursuance of the summons issued to him earlier.

The court directed the Aam Aadmi Party leader to furnish a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and a surety of the like amount. The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing on August 6.

Mr Kejriwal was summoned as accused by the court in February this year on a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by Mr Bidhuri, an MP from South Delhi parliamentary constituency, under Section 500 (defamation) of the IPC.

Mr Bidhuri had alleged that Mr Kejriwal had defamed him during an interview to a news channel. He had claimed that during the interview, Mr Kejriwal had falsely said that criminal cases were pending against Mr Bidhuri and a Congress leader, but the Delhi police was not taking action against them.

Mr Bidhuri claimed that no case was pending agai-nst him and Mr Kejriwal had defamed him by giving such a statement.