The Madhya Pradesh High Court closed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi after he expressed regret over remarks made during the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Assembly election campaign. The court accepted his statement and ended the proceedings, bringing the long-pending case to a close.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur dismissed the criminal defamation proceedings against Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The case was filed by Kartikeya Singh Chouhan, the son of Union Minister and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The dispute traces back to a campaign speech in Jhabua on October 29, 2018, in which Gandhi allegedly mentioned Kartikeya’s name in connection with the Panama Papers controversy.
The remark sparked a major political controversy in Madhya Pradesh. Shivraj Singh Chouhan reacted sharply, and Kartikeya Singh Chouhan moved the special MP/MLA court in Bhopal.
A criminal defamation complaint was then lodged under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code. Years later, the trial court took cognisance of the offence and summoned Gandhi.
In response, Gandhi approached the High Court under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
At the High Court, the matter shifted decisively. Gandhi submitted a statement acknowledging that his reference to Kartikeya Singh Chouhan was mistaken. He said that on October 30, 2018—the very next day—he had publicly clarified that he intended to refer to the son of the then Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh in connection with the Panama Papers, and not Kartikeya Singh Chouhan or his father, who was then the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. The statement further recorded that Gandhi stood by his public clarification and expressed regret for the erroneous reference. This became the turning point in the case.
On behalf of Kartikeya Singh Chouhan, a written reply was filed in the High Court stating that, given Gandhi’s clarification and regret, the complainant did not wish to pursue the matter further. The complainant’s side requested that the proceedings be closed both before the High Court and the trial court, with Gandhi’s statement forming part of the final order.
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Justice Pramod Kumar Agrawal accepted the submissions of both sides. The High Court noted Gandhi’s regret, took into account the reply filed by Kartikeya Singh Chouhan, and ordered that the proceedings be closed. The court also directed that the proceedings pending before the JMFC/Special Judge MP-MLA court in Bhopal would similarly stand closed.
The order effectively ends one of Madhya Pradesh’s long-running political defamation disputes—first triggered as an election-time attack, later escalating into a prestige contest between two political families, and ultimately concluding with a clarification, an apology, and closure.