Rahul Gandhi notes controversy: Keralam court summons BJP’s R Sreelekha in defamation case on Dec 2; what did the complaint say | Today’s news
A Kerala court has summoned BJP leader and former director general of police (DGP) R Sreelekha in connection with a criminal defamation case filed over her remarks about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Punalur, according to PTI.
The Class I Judicial Court at Mavelikara issued the notice on a complaint filed by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary KP Sreekumar. Sreelekha, who is also a councilor in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, has been directed to appear before the court on December 2.
Sreekumar said the court would record Sreelekha’s statement on that date. He added that his statement and that of the witnesses had already been recorded.
The complaint relates to Sreelekha’s remarks at a BJP event in Punalur in October. During the programme, she criticized Gandhi for his protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and compared his behavior to that of a person under the influence of drugs.
Sreelekha’s comments drew strong condemnation from Congress leaders.
What was stated in the complaint?
In the complaint, Sreekumar accused her of making baseless allegations about Gandhi’s behavior during the protest in Delhi. According to PTI, he alleged that she “falsely and maliciously alleged that Gandhi’s behavior during the democracy protest in Delhi resembled that of a person acting under the strong influence of drugs and narcotics”.
The complaint further alleged that Sreelekha’s previous position as the state’s director general of police meant she understood the implications of such an allegation against an individual.
“The accused (Sreelekha), who previously held the highest enforcement office in the state as the Director General of Police (DGP), was fully aware of the legal and social implications of framing narcotics charges against an individual.
Sreekumar also claimed that she made the statements despite knowing them to be false and described them as a deliberate attempt to damage Gandhi’s reputation.
“Despite full knowledge that no such facts existed, she willfully and maliciously fabricated and published these scandalous imputations. Her remarks were not a matter of inadvertence or opinion, but a premeditated and deliberate act of character assassination directed against Gandhi,” the complaint states.
A First Information Report (FIR) was also filed against Sreelekha in Punalur on a complaint by a Congress leader.
The police have registered a case under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, which deals with intentionally provoking someone with intent to create a disturbance.
Who is Sreelekha?
Sreelekha, Kerala’s first woman IPS, retired from the police service as Director General of Police before entering politics with the BJP.
She was elected from Sasthamangalam ward to Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in last year’s local polls. However, she failed to win the assembly election from Vattiyoorkav as a BJP candidate in April this year.
