Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.
Credit: PTI File Photo
A metropolitan court in Ahmedabad Monday issued summons to Bihar deputy chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav in connection with a criminal defamation case over his alleged remarks calling Gujaratis as "thugs."
Additional Metropolitan Magistrate D J Parmar issued summons to Yadav directing him to appear before it on September 22. The order came on a complaint filed under sections 499 and 500 of Indian Penal Code, which deals with criminal defamation.
The complaint has been filed by a 'social worker' and businessman Haresh Mehta, 69. He has claimed that he is a businessman and vice-president of All India Anti-Corruption and Crime Preventive Council (Gujarat state).
The court had conducted an inquiry against Yadav under section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and had found sufficient grounds to summon him on the basis of a complaint filed by Mehta, who is a social worker and businessman based in Ahmedabad.
According to Mehta, the RJD leader 'insulted Gujaratis' by calling them 'thugs'. The complaint is based on Yadav's press briefing on March 21 where he reportedly said, "...situation in the country is such that only a Gujarati can be a thug as their fraud would be forgiven." Yadav is said to have made the controversial remarks while commenting on reports that Interpol had removed fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi from the list of in March. Mehta has stated in his complaint that being the Deputy CM, Yadav should not have uttered those words.