• By Nidhi Giri
  • Mon, 20 Jan 2025 11:45 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed defamation proceedings against the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi in a Jharkhand court for remarks against Union Minister Amit Shah. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Jharkhand government and the BJP leader Naveen Jha while seeking their response on Gandhi's appeal within four weeks. 

The case dates back to 2018 when Rahul Gandhi had allegedly used derogatory remarks against Amit Shah, the then BJP chief.

Navin Jha, had filed the petition, claiming Rahul had remarked at a Congress meeting in Delhi that a murderer could become party president in BJP, but it was not possible in Congress. Jha alleged that Rahul had also made insulting comments against BJP, which had hurt its image.

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During one of his public speeches in Chaibasa before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi had allegedly referred to Shah as a “murderer”.

Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Rahul Gandhi, cited past judgments that said only an aggrieved person can file a criminal defamation complaint. He argued that the complaint cannot be filed by a proxy third party.

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Gandhi has challenged the Jharkhand High Court order, which rejected his petition to quash proceedings against him in a trial court in connection with the complaint.

(With Agency Inputs)