A Mumbai court on Tuesday issued a bailable warrant against Communist Party of India [Marxist] leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet in a defamation case filed by actor Anupam Kher.

It issued the warrant, as he was not present in the court despite summons having been issued to him. The court rejected Surjeet's plea to exempt him from personal appearance in the court due to ill-health.

The court also told Surjeet to give a surety of Rs 10,000 in lieu of the warrant and asked him to appear in person on April 25.

Kher had dragged Surjeet to the court for allegedly defaming him in articles by describing him as an 'RSS agent' and alleging that he (Kher) had saffronised the Censor Board when he was its chairman.