On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court directed Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to provide a response to an appeal lodged by former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. This appeal challenges Shekhawat's summoning in a criminal defamation case.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma has scheduled the case for additional hearings on January 22, 2024.

Gehlot has contested a sessions court ruling that rejected his appeal related to his summoning in the complaint filed by Shekhawat. The Sessions Court concluded that the summons, issued by an additional chief metropolitan magistrate, was devoid of factual errors, illegality, or impropriety in its findings.

Represented by senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, Shekhawat has alleged in his complaint that Gehlot engaged in public defamation through press conferences, media reports, and social media posts. Shekhawat claims that Gehlot's actions linked him to the Sanjivani scam in the state.

The Sanjivani Credit Society scam involves the alleged defrauding of thousands of investors of an estimated ₹ 900 crore with the promise of unusually high returns. The Sessions Court had taken note of Pahwa's submission that at the time of summoning an accused, the Magisterial Court was not required to enter into any detailed discussion or appreciation about the correctness, admissibility etc of the evidence as it can be adjudicated only at the end of trial and on the basis of evidence adduced during the course of trial.

Earlier, the trial court declined to stay the proceedings in the complaint, yet it granted Gehlot permission to participate in front of a metropolitan magistrate via video conference.

In his complaint presented before the magistrate, Shekhawat, serving as the Union Jal Shakti Minister and representing Jodhpur as a Member of Parliament, has accused Gehlot of making defamatory statements. Shekhawat asserts that Gehlot's remarks regarding the alleged scam are aimed at tarnishing his reputation and impacting his political trajectory.

The magisterial court had earlier said Gehlot "prima facie" made defamatory imputations against Shekhawat, knowing well about the implications and intending to harm his reputation.