Arvind Kejriwal, leader of Aam Aadmi Party and former chief minister of Delhi, has been sent to judicial custody in Tihar Jail for two days after he refused to furnish the bail bond of Rs 10,000 pertaining to the criminal defamation complaint filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.
Kejriwal, who appeared before the court after the summons issued against him for describing Gadkari as a "corrupt" person, said that he did not commit any crime and was not seeking any exceptional treatment.
He further told Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha that he would not pay a bail bond in the case and can give an undertaking that he will appear before the court at every hearing.
“This is my principle that when I have not done anything wrong, I will not seek bail. I am ready to go to jail,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal’s advocates Prashant Bhushan and Rahul Mehra stated that he was granted bail on the undertaking that he would appear before the court at every hearing in an earlier defamation case against him.
During the hearing, the magistrate stated, “I completely agree but why he (Kejriwal) will not furnish bail bond. What is the problem. There is a procedure and why should we follow different procedure in this case.”
"You are representing the Aam Aadmi Party. I request you to behave as aam aadmi (common man)," the judge said.
In a complaint filed on January 31, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gadkari said that Kejriwal released a list of “India’s most corrupt” people which included Gadkari’s name. He told the court that the statement by Kejriwal was "false, baseless, scandalous, defamatory” and lowered his dignity.