Deshmukh files defamation suit against Gadkari

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has filed a civil case of defamation against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitin Gadkari over latter's corruption charges in the Sion-Panvel Highway Expansion project.
    
The case, which has been filed in the Bombay High Court, seeks damages of Rs 100 crore for defamation, senior advocate V Gangal, appearing for Deshmukh, said.
    
The defamation case, which will come up for hearing in due course, has been filed with regard to Gadkari's charges
of corruption in tender process for the project while Deshmukh was Chief Minister.
    
Gadkari on December 18 last year had alleged in a press conference at Nagpur that a proper process was bypassed in
awarding

tenders for the project to favour a company in which Deshmukh's son Amit and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel's son had stakes.
    
He had alleged the decision favoured the firm Indiabulls and it was not put before the state cabinet as per procedure.
    
Deshmukh had also on January 21 filed a criminal case of defamation against Gadkari in the Bhoiwada metropolitan
magistrate's court.
    
In the case, Deshmukh has refuted all the allegations saying that neither his nor Patel's son had any interest in Indiabulls and the procedure regarding the contract had been approved by the cabinet in October 2006.