An Assam court has issued a bailable arrest warrant against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after he failed to appear before it in a defamation case, officials said on Tuesday.

The development took place after Bharatiya Janata Party leader and executive member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Surjya Rongphar filed a defamation suit against Kejriwal last December for questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualifications.

The Diphu district court had earlier asked Kejriwal to appear before it on January 30.

Justice Naba Kumar Deka Barua issued the bailable warrant of Rs 10,000.

He also fixed May 8 as the next date for hearing, requiring Kejriwal to personally appear in the court.   

The court said it had seen the petition by Kejriwal's counsel Gurpreet Singh Uppal, saying he could not leave Delhi due to the capital's municipal polls.

The court said the accused, Kejriwal, had not appeared before it earlier too, seeking a two-month long adjournment.