Congress leader Rahul Gandhi approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court expressing regret over alleged defamatory remarks against Kartikeya Singh Chouhan. The application stated that the comments made during an election campaign were not intended to refer to Kartikeya, in a defamation case filed before Bhopal court.
Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court with an application expressing regret over remarks that were allegedly defamatory towards Kartikeya Singh Chouhan, son of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The development comes in connection with a defamation case filed by Kartikeya Singh before a Bhopal court, alleging that certain statements made by Gandhi during an election campaign affected his reputation.
Gandhi’s application was submitted through his lawyer before the High Court, stating that the statement in question was not intended to refer to Kartikeya Singh.
Background of the Defamation Case
The dispute relates to remarks allegedly made by Rahul Gandhi during an election rally held in Jhabua in 2018. According to Kartikeya Singh’s complaint, Gandhi referred to his name while discussing the Panama Papers leak controversy during the political rally.
Singh alleged that the reference wrongly connected him with the controversy and caused damage to his reputation. Based on these allegations, Kartikeya Singh filed a criminal defamation complaint before the special court in Bhopal dealing with cases involving Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assemblies.
After examining the complaint, the Bhopal court issued summons directing Rahul Gandhi to appear personally before it. Following the summons, Gandhi approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking to challenge the proceedings.
Proceeding before the High Court
The Congress leader filed a petition requesting the High Court to quash both the summons and the defamation case initiated against him. During the hearing, Gandhi’s counsel placed an application before the High Court stating that the alleged statement was not connected with Kartikeya Singh. The application also conveyed regret regarding the controversy surrounding the statement.
In his complaint, Kartikeya Singh alleged that the statement made during the election rally was false and defamatory. He claimed that the reference to his name in connection with the Panama Papers issue created an impression that he was involved in wrongdoing, thereby harming his public image. The complaint was filed under the provisions relating to criminal defamation.
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Rahul Gandhi’s side has maintained that the remarks were not directed towards Kartikeya Singh. The application filed before the High Court stated that there was no intention to make any defamatory statement against him. By expressing regret, Gandhi has sought to address the grievance while continuing to challenge the maintainability of the defamation proceedings.
During the proceedings, the petitioner also submitted the records of the lower court as directed by the High Court. The case will now be examined by the High Court, which will consider Gandhi’s challenge to the criminal proceedings and the material placed before it.
Justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal is scheduled to hear Gandhi’s petition. The High Court will now hear arguments on Gandhi’s plea seeking relief from the criminal case.
Advocate Sankalp Kochhar appeared before the High Court representing Kartikeya Singh.
The matter remains pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which will decide whether the defamation proceedings should continue or be quashed.
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