AHMEDABAD: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday arrived here to appear in a metro court in connection with a defamation case regarding his remark, statements and social media posts about the alleged large-scale deposit of scrapped Rs 500 and 1000 notes in Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank (ADC bank).
BJP president Amit Shah became the director of ADC bank just five days after announcement of demonetization on November 8, 2016.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has also been accused in the case filed by the bank chairman Ajay Patel.
Rahul would appear in the Court No 13 of Addl Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, situated on the sixth floor in the Metro Court at 0230 hrs. He would also participate in 2 party meetings today. Earlier in a statement from Rahul’s office said,’ Over 20 cases have been filed against him in various courts around India by RSS/ BJP workers to try and intimidate and harass him.
Shri Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that he will neither be intimidated nor silenced and will vigorously defend himself in each of these cases.”
The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate had earlier examined the witnesses and observed that prima facie it appears to be a case of defamation.
The court had earlier on August 27 last year ordered an inquiry under section 202 of the CrPC in the matter before proceeding further on the complaint lodged in the court by ADC bank chairman Ajay Patel on the same day.
Patel with his complaint had also attached the copy of a CD and transcripts of the statements, tweets etc of the accused.
Notably in June last year Surjewala had during a press conference alleged that ADC bank received the highest amount of old demonetized notes, worth Rs 745.58 crore, in just five days after the note ban was announced on November 8, 2016 by PM Modi.
It was the only one of the 370 district cooperative banks across the country to receive such a large sum of demonetized notes in five days.
“ADCB chairman Ajay Patel is a prominent BJP leader, a close associate of Amit Shah.
Five days after demonetization, all cooperative banks were banned from accepting demonetized notes with the pretence of preventing money laundering through them,’ Surjewala had said. He had also alleged that in 11 district cooperative banks in Gujarat headed by BJP leaders, including those in Ahmedabad and Rajkot, Rs 3,118.51 crore worth of old notes were deposited within five days of demonetization.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi had also taken a jibe at BJP and Shah with his tweet on June 22.
“Congratulations Amit Shah ji, Director, ADC Bank, on your bank winning 1st prize in the conversion of old notes to new race. 750 Cr in 5 days! Millions of Indians whose lives were destroyed by demonetisation, salute your achievement,” Rahul had tweeted.
Patel in his complaint has alleged that the false accusation by Congress leaders had affected the image of the bank and they were liable to action under defamation laws.
Notably, two other defamation cases against Rahul Gandhi are also being heard by other courts in Gujarat. In the one pertaining to his speech in an election rally in Jabalpur calling Amit Shah, a murder-accused, another metro court here has on last Tuesday re-issued summon to him ordering him to appear before it on August 9.
The case is filed by a local BJP corporator. In another defamation case against the Congress leader, filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi in Surat for his remarks in an election rally in South India in which he had allegedly said that ‘Sabhi Modi Chor hain’ (All Modis are thieves), a court in the South Gujarat city had also on Tuesday issued a summon calling him to appear before it on July 16.
(AGENCIES)
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