Bailable warrant against Ansari in defamation case

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 27

A court on Thursday issued bailable warrants against former MLA Abid Ansari in a criminal defamation case filed against him by former minister and senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Naeem Akhtar.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, issued the bailable arrest warrants against the former legislator after he failed to appear before the court.

Akhtar had on November 16, this year, filed a criminal defamation suit against Abid Ansari and BJP activist Khalid Jahangir Sheikh for levelling what he termed as “baseless and fabricated charges of corruption against him.”

The case has been listed for recording of statement on February 9 next year. The court has directed all defendants to be present on the next date of hearing.

Khalid Jehangir appeared before the court and submitted the bail bonds.

Ansari, who was a PDP MLA from 2014 till the dissolution of the Assembly last month, and Jehangir had separately alleged that Akhtar had indulged in malpractices when he was the Public Works Minister in the PDP-BJP government.