Rahul summoned for calling Amit Shah 'murder accused'

A metropolitan court on Wednesday issued summons to Congress President Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making a defamatory remark against BJP during an election rally in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

The court summons followed a defamation suit filed by a BJP corporator here.

The metropolitan magistrate issued summons and directed the Congress chief to appear before it on July 9. The court order comes after examining three witnesses produced by BJP corporator from Khadia Krishnavadan Brahmbhatt.

Appearing for Brahmbhatt, senior lawyer S V Raju said that "during a rally in Jabalpur, Rahul Gandhi said in public Amit Shah BJP president murder accused, wah kya shaan hai."

Defamed BJP

According to Raju, Amit Shah is not a murder accused. He was discharged by the special CBI court in Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case in 2014. His discharge was challenged in the Bombay High Court by former IAS officer Harsh Mander, who was a member of an advisory council under Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. Raju said that Mander had approached the Supreme Court represented by Kapil Sibal, where too discharge was upheld.

Therefore, Raju said, "Rahul Gandhi would have known that Amit Shah is not a murder accused. The very statement is defamatory per se." The petitioner Bramhbhatt has claimed that "due to this remark, Rahul Gandhi has defamed BJP." He told the court that since the speech was televised and published nationally, including Ahmedabad, he filed the plea here.