Ahmedabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pleaded Friday ‘not guilty’ and was granted bail in a criminal defamation case filed against him here for calling Union Home Minister Amit Shah a ‘murder accused’.
Rahul Gandhi also appeared before a second court here where he is facing another defamation case, for claiming that Ahmedabad District Cooperative (ADC) Bank was involved in a currency swapping scam post-demonetisation. Shah is one of the directors of the bank.
Additional chief metropolitan magistrate RB Etaliya, hearing the defamation suit filed by BJP corporator Krishnavadan Brahmbhatt against Rahul Gandhi for calling Amit Shah a ‘murder accused’, granted the Congress leader bail on a bond of Rs 10,000. The lawyer representing Rahul lawyer sought exemption from personal appearance. The court said it will hear the plea December
7.
At a campaign rally in Jabalpur before Lok Sabha polls, Rahul had said, “Murder accused BJP chief Amit Shah. Wah, kya shaan hai (how glorious).”
Rahul jibe was slanderous as Shah was acquitted in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case in 2015, the complainant said in the defamation suit.
After Rahul appeared before additional chief judicial magistrate NB Munshi in the ADC Bank defamation suit, his lawyer sought personal exemption from appearance in this case too. The court said it will hear the plea, December 7.
Rahul had Thursday appeared before the court in this case, filed by the bank and its chairman Ajay Patel, in July and pleaded ‘not guilty’.
The case relates to Rahul’s allegation that the bank was involved in a scam of swapping demonetised notes worth Rs 750 crore with valid currency within five days of demonetisation in 2016.
PTI
