AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh apologise to Lokesh Sharma

Lokesh Sharma said he has accepted the apology and has moved a joint plea with the AAP leaders in the Delhi high court to settle the defamation suit he filed two years ago.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh have sent out letters of apology to Lokesh Sharma and his sports marketing company — the latest in a spate of apologies by AAP members to settle defamation cases against them.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh (in red) had made accusations against Lokesh Sharma’s firm over its contract with the Delhi District Cricket Association. (Ravi Choudhary/HT File Photo)

Sharma said he has accepted the apology and has moved a joint plea with the AAP leaders in the Delhi high court to settle the defamation suit he filed two years ago.

The two AAP leaders, who had made accusations against Sharma’s firm over its contract with the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), apologised to him in identical letters in which they said they had “unequivocally withdrawn all allegations”.

“...Now I have learnt that the allegations were unfounded...The damage or loss caused to you and your company Twenty First Century Media Pvt Limited is deeply regretted,” the letters dated April 7 read.

The letters are among several apologies issued by AAP leaders, including the party’s national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, in recent weeks. Since March, AAP leaders have sent apology letters to union ministers Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal’s son Amit, and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, among others.

AAP said it did so to settle as many as 20 defamation cases filed against it by various political leaders across India, adding that its leader wanted to concentrate their energies on serving the people instead of fighting cases.