Further acting on the decision to apologise to and compromise with all those who have filed defamation cases against them, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday apologised to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal’s son and senior advocate Amit Sibal.
In the letter sent to Mr. Gadkari, Mr. Kejriwal said, “I made certain statements, without regard to its verifiability. I regret the same. Let us... bring the court proceedings to a closure.”
Similarly, in a separate letter addressed to Amit Sibal, Mr. Kejriwal said, “I have learnt that the allegations I made against you and your father [Kapil Sibal] at the press conference on May 15 in 2013 were unfounded. I hereby withdraw all my statements and allegations made against you and your father and apologise for the same.”
Mr. Sisodia also wrote a similar letter to Amit Sibal tendering his apology to him.
Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Sisodia along with Mr. Gadkari and Amit Sibal later filed joint applications in the court urging it to dismiss the cases as withdrawn.
The Chief Minister was the only accused in the case filed by Mr. Gadkari, while Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Sisodia were named as accused in the complaint filed by Amit Sibal.
Later, talking to reporters at the Delhi Assembly, Mr. Sisodia said, “We do not have time for court cases. We do not want to enter into ego clashes. If somebody is hurt by our statements, we will apologise to them. We will rather deploy our energy to people’s works.”
2013 case
Mr. Gadkari had filed the case in 2013 after Mr. Kejriwal included his name in the list of India’s most corrupt leaders and made it public at his party meeting before the last Lok Sabha elections.
The court had begun trial in the case, and counsel for Mr. Kejriwal had cross-examined Mr. Gadkari for about two-and-a-half hours on various allegations in 2015.
The court had in May 2014 sent Mr. Kejriwal to judicial custody in the case when he reused to furnish a bail bond on appearing before it on a summons. However, he had later furnished the bond on a suggestion by the High Court and was released from jail.
According to counsel for Mr. Gadkari, Neeraj, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal later dismissed as withdrawn Mr. Gadkari’s complaint against Mr. Kejriwal.
Counsel for Mr. Kejriwal, Mohammad Irshad, also confirmed the dismissal of Mr. Sibal’s complaint against the Chief Minister and Mr. Sisodia.
Mr. Amit Sibal in his had complaint alleged that Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Sisodia had defamed him by charging him with taking the advantage of his father’s position to represent a telecom company in court cases here.
Noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan and BJP leader Shazia Ilmi have also been named as accused in this case. Ms. Ilmi was at that time in the AAP. Prosecution proceedings against them will go on.
Published - March 19, 2018 03:40 pm IST
