New Delhi, Mar 1 (IANS): A Delhi court Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant against former Indian cricket captain-turned-MP Mohammed Azharuddin after he failed to appear in person before a court in a dud cheque case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Vikrant Vaid issued the warrant against Azharuddin even as his counsel moved an exemption application Thursday on the ground that he was busy campaigning for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

"The exemption application is dismissed," the court said while directing Azharuddin to appear in person March 7.

Earlier, the Delhi court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him for not appearing in court on the day of the final verdict in the case, a lawyer said.

According to complainant Sanjay Solanki, he helped Azharuddin purchase property in Bandra in Mumbai for Rs.1.5 crore. As per the agreement to sell and purchase, Azhar agreed to pay double the initial amount of Rs.1.5 crore if the deal fell through due to his failure to comply with the terms.

When the deal did not mature, Azhar refused to pay double the amount, the complainant's counsel Gurvinder Singh Talwar said. Azhar issued two cheques of amount Rs.1.5 crore twice to the complainant, which were dishonoured, he said.

Azhar during the framing of charges claimed innocence and told the court that he did not know the complainant personally and met him for the first time in court.

He added that he made the payment to the person who had set the deal as the agreement, carrying the MP's Delhi address, was made by another person. "That person told me that he had paid the money to Solanki," Azhar told the court July 21, 2011.