Defamation case against Rajasthan CM: Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat records statement in Delhi court

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 6

Union Jal Shakti Minister and senior BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday recorded his statement before a Delhi court in his criminal defamation complaint filed against senior Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Shekhawat – who recorded his statement before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Harpreet Singh – accused Gehlot of levelling false allegations against him owing to frustration caused by the defeat of his son at the hands of the BJP leader.

The court – which had taken cognizance of Shekhawat's complaint on March 4 – posted it for further proceedings on Tuesday.

Shekhawat alleged that the Rajasthan Chief Minister's statements accusing him of involvement in the alleged 'Sanjivani' scam defamed him. The allegations were false and baseless, he told reporters.

Gehlot had alleged Shekhawat was involved in the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scandal in which lifetime savings of more than one lakh people totalling more than Rs 900 crore were "looted".

"There is an irreparable damage caused to his (Shekhawat) reputation," the complaint claimed. The complaint alleged that Gehlot was making defamatory remarks to tarnish Shekhawat's image and adversely impact his political career.

In the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society, thousands of investors allegedly lost Rs 900 crore. Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) has been investigating the case since August 2019. (With Agency Inputs)

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