Rahul Gandhi remarks row: Court summons BJP's Sreelekha on Dec 2 in defamation case; what did complaint say?

A COURT in Keralam has summoned BJP leader and former Director General of Police (DGP) R Sreelekha in connection with a criminal defamation case filed over her comments about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Punalur, according to PTI.

The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I in Mavelikara issued the notice following a complaint lodged by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary K P Sreekumar. Sreelekha, who is also a councillor 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 those of the witnesses had already been recorded.

The complaint relates to remarks made by Sreelekha at a BJP event in Punalur in October. During the programme, she slammed Gandhi over his protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and compared his behaviour to that of a person under the influence of drugs.

Sreelekha's comments triggered strong condemnation from Congress leaders.

What did the complaint say?

In the complaint, Sreekumar accused her of making baseless allegations about Gandhi's conduct during a protest in Delhi. As per PTI, he alleged that she "falsely and maliciously alleged that Gandhi's behaviour during a democratic protest in Delhi resembled that of a person acting under the severe influence of drugs and narcotics".

The complaint further argued that Sreelekha's previous position as the state's Director General of Police meant she understood the consequences of making such allegations against an individual.

"The accused (Sreelekha), having previously held the highest law-enforcement office in the state as the Director General of Police (DGP), was fully conscious of the legal and social ramifications of levelling narcotics-related allegations against an individual".

Sreekumar also alleged that she made the statements despite knowing they were untrue, describing them as an intentional attempt to damage Gandhi's reputation.

"Despite having complete knowledge that no such facts existed, she intentionally and maliciously fabricated and published these scandalous imputations. Her remarks were not a matter of inadvertence or opinion, but a calculated and deliberate act of character assassination directed against Gandhi," the complaint mentioned.

A First Information Report (FIR) was also filed against Sreelekha at Punalur following a complaint by a Congress leader.

The police registered the case under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to deliberately provoking someone with the intention of causing a riot.

Who is Sreelekha?

Sreelekha, Keralam's first woman IPS officer, retired from the police service as a Director General of Police before entering politics with the BJP.

She was elected from the Sasthamangalam ward to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in last year's local body polls. However, she failed to win the Assembly election from Vattiyoorkavu as a BJP candidate in April this year.