look news india
New Delhi, 23 November (HS). Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court has postponed the hearing on the matter of framing of charges in the defamation case filed against former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on behalf of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal ordered the hearing on February 28, 2025.
During the hearing today, Ashok Gehlot appeared in the court through video conferencing. Advocate Gaurav, appearing for Ashok Gehlot, said that the stay imposed by the High Court on the trial court proceedings has been extended till February 20, 2025. After this, the court ordered the next hearing of the case on 28 February 2025.
On December 13, the Sessions Court had rejected the petition filed against the summons issued to Ashok Gehlot from the Court of Additional Metropolitan Magistrate. Ashok Gehlot approached the Delhi High Court against the order of the Sessions Court where the case is still pending.
It is noteworthy that on September 19, 2023, Rouse Avenue Court had rejected the demand for acquittal of Ashok Gehlot. The court had issued summons to accused Ashok Gehlot on July 6, 2023. Delhi Police had filed its investigation report in the court on 25 May 2023. In this case, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had said in his statement in the court that I have no connection with the Sanjeevani scam. Shekhawat had said that the investigating agencies did not consider me an accused, false allegations have been made against me. Shekhawat had said that Ashok Gehlot made false allegations against him to tarnish his image.
The petition said that Ashok Gehlot made a public statement that the allegations against Shekhawat in the Sanjeevani Cooperative Society scam have been proved in the Special Operation Group (SOG) investigation. The petition states that Gehlot said in a post on social media X (formerly Twitter) that Sanjeevani Cooperative Society looted the hard-earned money of about one lakh people. An allegation of misappropriation of about Rs 900 crore has been made in this scam.
The petition said that Gehlot said in his post that ED has the right to seize property and not SOG. SOG has several times requested ED to seize the property of Sanjeevani Cooperative Society but ED has not taken any action while ED is continuously taking action against the opposition leaders. Gehlot told Shekhawat in his post that if you are innocent then come forward and return the people’s money.
The petition said that Gehlot tried to defame Shekhawat by associating his name with a cooperative society in which neither he nor any member of his family is a depositor in that society.