Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit fined Rs 5,000 for missing court hearing

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has been fined Rs 5,000 for missing a court hearing on her own defamation suit against a BJP leader.

The Chief Minister's lawyer has told a Delhi court that she was at a meeting of her party's election panel, to finalise candidates for the December 4 Delhi assembly election.

The court in Saket in south Delhi, exempted her from today's hearing but said she must pay a fine in the next. She had been asked to appear for cross-examination by the counsel defending Delhi BJP leader Vijender Gupta.

The case involves Ms Dikshit's complaint accusing Mr Gupta of maligning her to gain political mileage and using "uncivilised" language against her before the civic polls last year.

The Chief Minister had alleged that the BJP leader called her a "villain" and "vamp" and also said that she had cheated the people of Delhi.

Mr Gupta has also filed a case against the Chief Minister alleging misuse of government funds to the tune of Rs. 22.56 crore in an advertisement campaign ahead of the 2008 assembly polls.

Ms Dikshit is hoping for a fourth straight term in these elections, in which she faces a BJP determined to return to power after 15 years, and debutant Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.