BJP leader Shazia Ilmi tenders apology to lawyer Amit Sibal in defamation case

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Shazia Ilmi today tendered an apology to senior advocate Amit Sibal, son of former union minister Kapil Sibal, in a 2013 criminal defamation case filed by him for her remarks when she was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party.

The move came after co-accused -- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia -- moved a joint application with the complainant on March 19 seeking to settle the matter since apologies by both the AAP leaders were accepted by him.

In a joint application moved by Ilmi and Sibal, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal was today informed that the apology tendered by the BJP leader, who was an AAP member when the alleged statements were made in a press conference, was accepted by Amit Sibal.

In his statement recorded before the court, the complainant submitted that Ilmi has tendered an apology through advocate Nishant saying that the allegations made by her were unfounded and she regretted making them and apologised for the same.

Sibal told the court that he accepted her apology and requested it that the offence be impounded.

The court accepted the application and reserved its order on it.

The proceedings against former AAP leader and advocate Prashant Bhushan, however, will continue.

The court had on March 19 acquitted Kejriwal and Sisodia after they tendered an apology to lawyer Amit Sibal who accepted their plea.

Kejriwal and Sisodia had last month apologised for making "unfounded allegations" against Sibal in a letter.

The lower court had, on September 20, 2014, put all the four accused on trial for the charge under section 500 (defamation) of the IPC.