india

Updated: May 02, 2019 00:31 IST

metropolitan court in Ahmedabad on Wednesday issued summons to Congress president Rahul Gandhi for allegedly calling Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah a “murder accused” at a rally.

“Rahul Gandhi has been asked to remain present in court on July 9,” BJP corporator Krishnavadan Brahmbhatt, who filed the defamation complaint, told HT.

Metropolitan magistrate DS Dabhi issued a summons holding that prima facie there was a case of criminal defamation against Gandhi under Indian Penal Code section 500. The complaint states that at an election rally in Jabalpur on April 23, Gandhi had said, “Murder-accused BJP chief Amit Shah, wah, kya shaan hai (how glorious)”

Brahmbhatt contended that Shah was acquitted by a CBI court in 2015 over his alleged involvement in the killing of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi, and Tulsiram Prajapati.

Brahmbhatt’s complaint stated that the January 2, 2015 order acquitting Shah was known ”in all political circles including that of the Congress”.

Last month, another magistrate’s court here had issued summons to Gandhi and Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in a defamation suit filed by the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank chairman. Shah is a director of the bank. The suit alleged that Congress leaders had claimed that the bank was involved in a scam to swap ₹750 crore in scrapped notes with valid currency after demonetisation.

“We respect the court proceedings and will take required steps when we will receive the summon. But at the same time the defamation case and other issues including raising doubts over Rahulji’s nationality, proves that BJP is trying to divert the attention when it is not in position to give an account of its rule of five years,” Congress spokesman Manish Doshi said.