Defamation Case: Delhi HC Asks Union Minister Shekhawat to Response on Ashok Gehlot’s Plea

The Delhi High Court has directed Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to submit a response to an appeal filed by former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot against his summoning in a criminal defamation complaint.

A bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma scheduled the matter for further consideration on January 22, 2024.

Gehlot has challenged a sessions court’s decision that dismissed his appeal against the summoning in the complaint filed by Shekhawat. The sessions court maintained that the summons issued by an additional chief metropolitan magistrate did not exhibit any factual mistake, illegality, or impropriety of finding.

In his complaint, Shekhawat alleges that Gehlot, through press conferences, media reports, and social media posts, publicly defamed him by associating him with the Sanjivani scam in the state.

The Sanjivani Credit Society scam pertains to the purported defrauding of thousands of investors, involving an estimated Rs 900 crore, with the promise of unusually high returns.