A metropolitan court, on Friday, ordered an inquiry into the defamation complaint registered against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making a wrong and defamatory statement against BJP president Amit Shah during a recent election rally in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The complaint was filed by BJP’s Khadia councillor Krishnavadan Brahmbhatt and the court will decide on April 30 whether to take cognizance in the complaint, or not.
According to Brambhatt’s lawyer Prakash Patel, the complaint was placed before the court of metropolitan magistrate DS Dabhi, which ordered a preliminary inquiry under Section 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code. “Thereafter, the court recorded the deposition of Brahmbhatt and two of his witnesses—Jigesh Dani and Umang Naik—in the case and adjourned the hearing till April 30, when it will decide on whether to take cognizance in the case and issue summons to Gandhi, or not,” Patel told DNA.
Brahmbhatt has alleged that the Congress president has addressed several election rallies as part of the Lok Sabha poll campaign and made defamatory statements. He alleged that Gandhi, while addressing an election rally in Jabalpur had said, “Murder accused BJP chief Amit Shah. Waah, kya shaan hai!” The councilor claimed that the said speech was broadcasted by news channels and published in newspapers causing damage to the reputation of the BJP president.
The complainant has alleged that the statement of Gandhi was defamatory and false as Shah has been discharged by the CBI Court on January 2, 2015, in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. He has also alleged that Gandhi was well aware that the statement made by him was wrong and it has ‘lowered the moral and intellectual character of BJP and its president’.
