Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday appeared before a court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur in connection with a defamation case filed against him for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Meanwhile, the court has reportedly scheduled the next hearing for August 12, during which the statement of the petitioner is set to be recorded. The defamation case against Gandhi was filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra on August 4, 2018.

BJP leader Vijay Mishra had accused the Congress leader of making derogatory remarks during a press conference in Bengaluru, in which the Congress MP referred to Amit Shah as an ‘accused’ in a murder case. 

Complainant's lawyer Advocate Santosh Kumar Pandey told news agency ANI, "He (Rahul Gandhi) denied the allegations and said that he is being framed for political reasons and to malign his image. He answered the questions asked by the court. He recorded his statement. Now, we have to produce evidence on August 12, 2024.”

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Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, arrived at Lucknow airport today and then proceed to Sultanpur for the court appearance. Earlier on February 20, the court had granted him bail in connection with this case. The Congress leader was summoned by Special Magistrate Shubham Verma to record his statement on July 26, warning of strict action if he fails to comply, as he has missed 12 consecutive hearings.

However, Gandhi’s lawyer Kashi Prasad Shukla Informed the court that his absence on July 2 was due to his parliamentary duties as the Leader of Opposition. Gandhi attacked the BJP and said that the party claimed to believe in honest and clean politics but had a party president who was an "accused" in a murder case, referring to Shah who was then the BJP chief.

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The defamation case against Gandhi came after he allegedly attacked the BJP and said that the saffron party claimed to believe in honest politics but had a party president who was an ‘accused’ in a murder case, referring to Shah who was then the BJP chief. The defamation charges are under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499, which deals with spreading rumours to damage someone's reputation, and 500, which pertains to defamation.

 

 

Advocate Santosh Kumar Pandey, Complainant's lawyer told news agency ANI, "He (Rahul Gandhi) denied the allegations and said that he is being framed for political reasons and to malign his image. He answered the questions asked by the court. He recorded his statement. Now, we have to produce evidence on August 12, 2024.”