New Delhi:

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday told a Delhi court that his allegations against Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in relation to the alleged Sanjivani scam were the “truth” and “cannot be termed defamation”.

The counsel appearing for Mr Gehlot told Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal that the BJP leader was served a notice by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police, probing the alleged Rs 900 crore Sanjivani Multistate Credit Cooperative Society scam, and he filed a reply to it.

He claimed that Mr Shekhawat suppressed the fact related to the notice.

“An FIR was lodged by the SOG Rajasthan in 2020. The complainant filed a reply to SOG’s notice…. He suppressed this fact from the court…. My client never said that the complainant has been convicted in the case. He said that the complainant is also an accused in the case,” the counsel told the court.

The counsel further said that a case of defamation was not made out against Gehlot.

“Prima facie there appears to be involvement….If I am telling the truth, it is not defamation,” the counsel said.

The court will further hear the matter on October 20.

The court had on August 7 summoned Mr Gehlot following Mr Shekhawat’s complaint over the Congress leader’s remarks linking him to the alleged Sanjivani scam.

The “scam” is related to thousands of investors allegedly getting duped of about Rs 900 crore by the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society on the promise of highly lucrative returns. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)