A Delhi court has refused to stay summons against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a defamation case filed by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Special Judge M.K. Nagpal at the Rouse Avenue Courts observed on Tuesday that there was no reason or ground to stay the directions issued by a magisterial court summoning the Rajasthan Chief Minister and also the proceedings against him.
However, the special court dealing with cases against legislators permitted the Congress leader to appear before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Harjeet Singh Jaspal through video-conferencing.
On July 6, ACMM Jaspal of Rouse Avenue Courts had observed that there was sufficient ground to summon Gehlot on August 7 under Section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code on the basis of a complaint filed by Shekhawat.
The magisterial court had pointed out that Gehlot had prima facie made ‘specific defamatory’ statements against Shekhawat, which got wide coverage in the print/electronic/social media.
The statement had the potential to tarnish the image of the complainant and could have led to the right thinking members of the society shun him, noted the ACMM.
(Case title: Ashok Gehlot vs Gajendra Singh Shekhawat)