A court here on Saturday acquitted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and former AAP leader Yogendra Yadav in a criminal defamation case filed against them by a lawyer about the 2013 Assembly elections.

Magistrate Vidhi Gupta Anand of Rouse Avenue Court ordered the politicians to be acquitted. A detailed order will be made available later in the day.

The case was filed by lawyer Surender Sharma, who had claimed that his candidature for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was canceled in 2013 at the last moment.

Sharma had alleged that in 2013, AAP had approached him and asked him to contest the Assembly elections in Delhi on a party ticket, stating that Kejriwal was pleased with his social works.

He also filled out the application form to contest the polls after Sisodia and Yadav allegedly told him that AAP's Political Affairs Committee had decided to give him the ticket. However, he was later denied a ticket.

The complainant claimed that on October 14, 2013, articles in leading newspapers carried "defamatory, unlawful and derogatory words used against him by the accused persons" which hampered his reputation in the Bar and the society. (AA//IANS)