Delhi court issues summons to Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot in defamation case by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
A Delhi court on Thursday issued summons to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a criminal defamation case filed by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal of Rouse Avenue Court ordered Gehlot to appear before the Court on August 7.
A detailed order is awaited.
Shekhawat filed the criminal defamation suit against Gehlot after the latter allegedly made a statement regarding the former's alleged involvement in the Sanjeevani scam.
Shekhawat has alleged in his plea that Gehlot made the defamatory allegations in February, 2023 after meeting some people who lost their investment in Sanjeevani. These aggrieved people had alleged that Shekhawat was involved in the scam.
It is Shekhawat's case that Gehlot was speaking to the media where he named the Jal Shakti minister and asked how such people become ministers in the Modi government.
The very next day, Shekhawat held a press-conference where he refuted the allegations.
On March 24, 2023, the Court had ordered Delhi Police to investigate whether or not Gehlot actually said that Shekhawat is an accused in the scam.
A report was then filed by the Delhi Police and Shekhawat's counsel argued that all the questions put by the court have been answered in the affirmative in the report.
A Delhi court on Thursday issued summons to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a criminal defamation case filed by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal of Rouse Avenue Court ordered Gehlot to appear before the Court on August 7.
Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal of Rouse Avenue Court ordered Gehlot to appear before the court on August 7.
The Union minister filed a criminal defamation complaint against Gehlot on March 4 alleging that the latter called him and his deceased mother “an accused” in the ₹900 crore Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scam, and that “false, uncalled, derogatory and defamatory statements have been made with the aim to tarnish his image in the eyes of the general public, the voters and his kith and kin, with the object of gaining an undue political mileage”.
“Having considered the facts and circumstances, the testimonies of the complainant witnesses, the evidence placed on record, it prima facie appears that the accused has made specific defamatory statements against the complaint. Further, … it appears that the aforesaid defamatory statements of the accused have been sufficiently published in the newspaper electronic media/social media, which may make the right thinking members of the society shun the complainant,” the additional chief metropolitan magistrate said in his order.
