In a defamation case against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, a special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur conducted a hearing on Thursday. A lawyer said that further proceedings including cross-examination will continue on January 10. The case is in connection to an alleged objectionable remark made by Rae Bareli Congress MP about Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.
Gandhi’s lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, said that a cross-examination of the complainant, Vijay Mishra, who is a local BJP politician who had filed the complaint, took place. The lawyer said that as the questioning could not be completed, the next hearing has been scheduled for January 10.
Mishra's lawyer, Santosh Kumar Pandey, said, "Rahul Gandhi's counsel cross-examined my client today regarding the defamation case. The next steps will proceed on January 10.”
All about the defamation case:
The case was filed in 2018 by Mishra, a BJP politician and resident of Hanumanganj in Sultanpur's Kotwali Dehat area. Mishra alleged that Gandhi's remark on Shah during the Karnataka elections was offensive and had deeply hurt him. Over the past five years, the case underwent multiple proceedings, but Gandhi reportedly failed to appear in court.
Consequently, in December 2023, a warrant was issued, compelling Gandhi to appear in court. In February 2024, the Congress leader complied with the summons and the special magistrate granted him bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each. Following this, the court instructed him to record his statement, which was finally completed on July 26, 2024, after multiple postponements.
Rahul Gandhi’s statement:
In his statement, Gandhi pleaded not guilty and claimed the case was part of a political conspiracy against him. Subsequently, the court directed the complainant to present evidence. Although a hearing was initially scheduled for December 16, it was postponed due to the judge's leave and was rescheduled for January 2.
(With PTI inputs)
