Delhi CM Kejriwal, 5 other AAP leaders put on trial in Jaitley defamation case

The Patiala House court fixed May 20th as the next date of hearing after Kejriwal and other accused AAP leaders pleaded not guilty.

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other senior AAP leaders to face trial in a defamation case filed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The Patiala House court here has fixed May 20th as the next date of hearing after Kejriwal and the other accused pleaded not guilty.

In December 2015, Jaitley had filed civil and criminal defamation cases against them for accusing him of corruption linked to Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), which he had headed for 13 years till 2013.

On Saturday, the court framed notices against Kejriwal and the other accused in the case, the ANI news agency reported.

Earlier on January 20, while hearing the case, the court observed that Kejriwal exhibited "dilatory tactics to delay trial" and must be present in court on March 25 when charges will be framed against him and others.

Other AAP leaders named in the case are Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chaddha and Deepak Bajpai.

Jaitley alleged that Kejriwal made false allegations for "political mileage, causing irreversible damage to him." He also sought Rs.10 crore in damages.

In a separate case, ex-crickter Chetan Chuahan has also filed defamation charges against Kejriwal and suspended BJP lawmaker Kirti Azad for alleging a sex racket in DDCA when he was its vice president.

Last year, both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court dismissed Kejriwal's request to suspend the defamation case against him.