BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Monday filed a criminal defamation complaint, accusing AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh of attempting to divert the public attention from the CAG report on coal blocks allocation by alleging that a business partner of his (Mr. Gadkari) earned a profit of Rs. 490 crore from coalmines in Chhattisgarh.
In his complaint filed in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar, Mr. Gadkari said Mr. Singh deliberately projected him as a business partner of Ajay Sancheti in defamatory statements which appeared in the print and electronic media on September 12 and 13. “The complainant has no business partnership with Mr. Ajay Sancheti, nor has he received benefit of a single rupee by any allocation.”
Mr. Gadkari furnished copies of newspapers and websites, as also video clippings, in a CD, of what was aired on national news channels.
The magistrate proceeded to record Mr. Gadkari’s statement. The recording of the statements of other witnesses has been listed for October 16. Mr. Gadkari said he sent legal notice to Mr. Singh on September 14 but was yet to receive a response.
Among the witnesses Mr. Gadkari wanted summoned are BJP Rajya Sabha member Bhupendra Yadav, and editors of some newspapers, news channels and news websites.
Lawyers Pinky Anand and Ajay Digpaul represented him.
