Bank defamation: Rahul Gandhi to appear in Ahmedabad court today

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is going to appear before a metropolitan court in Ahmedabad on Friday in connection with a defamation suits filed against him and party's Randeep Surjewala by Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank and its chairman Ajay Patel. The court had issued summons on April 8 against the Congress leaders after carrying out a preliminary probe under Section 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Gandhi's lawyer PS Champaneri told DNA: "We will clarify our stand before the court on Friday." Asked whether Surjewala will also be present in court, Champaneri said the process of service of summons was still to be completed for Surjewala.

The bank and Patel are demanding action against the Congress leaders for projecting them as "scamsters" involved in a Rs 745.59 crore scam of converting demonetised currencies within five days of the note ban announced on November 8, 2016. BJP president Amit Shah was one of the directors of the bank at the time.

Patel has alleged that Rahul's hashtag #ShahZyadaKhaGaya was damaging to the bank and drove away potential depositors. He alleged that Rahul's tweet and Surjewala's press meet on the subject in June 2018 ruined his and the bank's reputation.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee is planning to give a grand welcome to Gandhi upon his arrival at Ahmedabad airport.