Ahmedabad: A local court here today issued summons to Congress President Rahul Gandhi in connection with a defamation case lodged by a BJP corporator here for his statement against party president Amit Shah terming him a ‘murder accused’.

The Court of Metropolitan Magistrate D.S. Dabhi issued the summons to the congress president and fixed the next date of hearing for July 9. The case has been filed by BJP Corporator of the AMC from Khadia ward in the city, Krishnavadan Brahmbhatt. He has alleged that the statement of Gandhi in the election rally of April 23 in Jabalpur of Madhya Pradesh was derogatory to Shah as he has already been discharged in the Shohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case by a CBI court.

His counsel of the last date of hearing on April 30, said that the case can filed and heard in Ahmedabad as the speech of the Congress president was telecast live on television channels and was seen every where including Ahmedabad.

Notably, this is second summon against Rahul by a local court here in recent times. On April 8, another metro court here had issued summons to Congress President Rahul Gandhi and national spokesperson of the party Randeep Surjewala in connection with a defamation case regarding their remarks, 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), of which BJP president Amit Shah was a director, during just five days after announcement of demonetization on November 8, 2016.

The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S K Gadhvi had issued the summons asking them to appear before it on May 27, the next date of hearing.

DeshGujarat