Rahul pleads not guilty in defamation case by Ahmedabad bank, gets bail

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Friday granted bail by a court here after he pleaded not guilty in a criminal defamation suit filed by Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank, in which Union Home Minister Amit Shah is one of the directors, and its chairman is Ajay Patel.

The defamation suit was filed by the bank against Rahul Gandhi after he alleged that it had swapped ₹50 crore in scrapped currency with valid notes within five days of announcement of demonetisation on November 8, 2016.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate N B Munshi on Friday asked Gandhi if he accepted the charges, to which he replied in the negative.

His lawyer then moved an application for bail, which was granted.

"Congratulations Amit Shah ji, Director Ahmedabad Dist. Cooperative bank, on your bank winning first prize in the conversion of old notes to new race. 750 crore in 5 days! Millions of Indians whose lives were destroyed by Demonetisation, salute your achievement," Rahul Gandhi had tweeted last year.

Earlier in the day, the Congress leader, who is facing several defamation cases in different parts of the country, said he is thankful to his opponents in the RSS and the BJP for providing him with opportunities to take his ideological battle against them to the public.

"I'm in Ahmedabad today, to appear in another case filed against me by my political opponents in the RSS/BJP.

"I thank them for providing me these platforms & opportunities to take my ideological battle against them to the public. Satyameva Jayate," he said in a tweet after reaching Ahmedabad.