Mumbai: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi last year while attacking the Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, called him “commander-in-thief”. The Mumbai court has now summoned Rahul Gandhi over a defamation case filed by a Maharashtra BJP executive member Mahesh Shrishimal.
The Girgaum metropolitan magistrate has directed Rahul Gandhi to appear before the court on October 3.
In September last year, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted a jibe “India’s commander-in-thief” – without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rahul Gandhi had accused PM Modi of cancelling the previous UPA government’s agreement and signing off on an overpriced deal only to facilitate an offset contract for industrialist Anil Ambani’s inexperienced defence company.
India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs. 58,000 crores. The Supreme Court had ruled in December last year that it has found nothing wrong with the agreement signed by PM Modi. It also said that there was no substantial evidence to suggest that any private entity was shown favouritism in the case.