Former AAP member Shazia Ilmi apologises to lawyer Amit Sibal in defamation case

The move comes after the co-accused — Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy CM Manish Sisodia — moved a joint application seeking to settle the matter since apologies by both the AAP leaders were accepted by him.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shazia Ilmi tendered an apology on Friday to senior advocate Amit Sibal, son of former Union minster 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 complainant submitted that Shazia Ilmi has tendered an apology through an advocate saying the allegations made by her were unfounded and she regretted making them and apologised for the same. (HT File Photo)

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 informed on Friday 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 the allegations made by her were unfounded and she regretted making them and apologised for the same.

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 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.