Court directs Digvijay Singh to appear in defamation case

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday directed senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh to appear before it on April 27 in connection with a criminal defamation case filed against him by BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal fixed the framing of notice on the matter on the next date after the accused failed to appear before the court today.

The court had in December 2012 granted bail to the Congress leader in the case where he had allegedly accused the BJP leader of having business links with his party MP Ajay Sancheti.

It was also alleged in the complaint that Singh accused Gadkari of pocketing huge sum to the tune of Rs 490 crore in the coal block allocation to Sancheti.

The complaint was represented by advocate Neeraj.

The court, after finding prima facie evidence against Singh, had directed him to appear before it as accused in the complaint.

The complaint was filed under section 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the IPC.

Gadkari, in his statement recorded in the court, had denied having any business ties with Sancheti and had said Singh levelled totally false and defamatory allegations against him to give the impression that I have been responsible for allocation of the coal mines to Sancheti.

In his petition, Gadkari alleged that Singh had levelled defamatory allegations against him to lower his dignity in the public at large and it was made with wrongful intent to malign and tarnish his image.

The Congress leader had denied the charges that he had defamed the BJP leader.