Shashi Tharoor gets warrant over 'scorpion on Shivling' case

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has issued a bailable warrant against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for not appearing in a criminal defamation complaint against him over his alleged “scorpion on Shivling” remarks referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Chief metropolitan magistrate Naveen Kumar Kashyap on Monday issued the warrant against the Congress leader for November 27, noting that neither Shashi Tharoor nor his counsel appeared before the court. The magistrate also imposed a fine of '500 on the complainant, Delhi BJP leader Rajiv Babbar, who also did not appear. However, Mr Babbar was represented by a junior counsel. “Neither complainant nor his main counsel is present. An exemption application is moved on behalf of the complainant. The same is vague in nature. It is stated in the application that he is in personal difficulty but what is such ‘difficulty’ is not explained at all,” the court said.