Congress president Rahul Gandhi. (Source: Twitter)A Gujarat court Monday issued summons to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in a criminal defamation case filed by Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank (ADCB), in which BJP president Amit Shah is also a director, PTI reported.
The Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank (ADCB) and its chairman Ajay Patel had filed separate criminal defamation cases against Gandhi and Surjewala for their remarks on the bank in connection with an RTI filed on demonetisation.
At a press meet on June 22 last year, Surjewala had claimed, quoting an RTI reply, that the bank exchanged junked notes worth Rs 745.58 crore in five days after demonetisation was announced. He also claimed that ADCB chairman Patel is a “close associate of BJP president Amit Shah who is a director and former chairman of the bank”.
He had demanded a probe and alleged that the RTI reply has “exposed an attempt to convert black money into white money in the guise of demonetisation”.
The same day, Rahul tweeted: “Congratulations Amit Shah ji, Director, Ahmedabad Dist Cooperative Bank, on your bank winning 1st prize in the conversion of old notes to new race. 750 Cr in 5 days! Millions of Indian whose lives were destroyed by Demonetisation, salute your achievement.”
The cases were filed in metropolitan magisterial court, which ordered an inquiry under CrPC.
