Notice to Arvind Kejriwal for allegations against Nitin Gadkari's firm

Nagpur: A local court has issued notice toAAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, party's Nagpur Lok Sabha nominee Anjali Damania and five others after BJP leader Nitin Gadkari promoted Purti sugar company accused them of defamation.

Purti Power and Sugar Limited has dragged Aam Admi Party leader Kejriwal, Damania and five other AAP activists to civil court for allegedly making ‘baseless and defamatory’ accusations against the company and its former director Nitin Gadkari.

The civil court registered the suit yesterday and issued notices to Kejriwal, Damania, AAP spokesman Girish Nandgaokar, and party activists Rahul Pugalia, Devendra Wankhede, Prajakta Atul Upadhyay and Pradyumna Sahasrabhojanee.

Second civil judge S Y Abajii issued the notices to the defendants and posted the next hearing on March 21.

The civil suit file by Purti sugar factory managing director Sudhir Dive has sought injunction against the AAP leaders charging them with deliberately making allegations on the eve of elections.

The company had earlier filed criminal as well as civil complaints against the AAP leaders.

Counsel for Purti, Sudhir Malode and Vinod Tiwari, informed the court that in view of Lok Sabha elections, AAP leaders were levelling baseless allegations against Purti Group founder Nitin Gadkari in a 12-year-old case.

"Gadkari did not have any connection with the case and AAP is trying to mislead people about the company and its founder. This is misuse of freedom of expression. Therefore, the court should intervene and restrain the politically motivated tirade against the company and Gadkari," the counsel said before the court.

Earlier, Damania had alleged that Purti Power and Sugar Company cheated a farmer as well as central government and pocketed the entire amount of loan which was subsequently waived by the Centre.

BJP's law cell vice president Vinod Tiwari had said that the party would file criminal and civil complaints against Kejriwal.