Today(21st Sept), A defamation case against Rahul Gandhi in a UP MP-MLA court has been postponed to October 1 due to a bar council health camp. The case, filed by BJP’s Vijay Mishra, involves alleged defamatory remarks about Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka elections.
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SULTANPUR: Today(21st Sept), A defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was postponed once again by the MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh’s district. The delay was due to a health camp organized by the bar council on the court premises, which made it impossible for the lawyers to conduct court work.
The case, which dates back to 2018, involves Gandhi allegedly making defamatory remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the Karnataka election campaign when Shah was the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The hearing has been rescheduled for October 1, and the plaintiff, Vijay Mishra, a local BJP politician, has continued to pursue the case.
Santosh Kumar Pandey, the lawyer representing Vijay Mishra, confirmed the reason for the delay. According to him, Mishra’s statement was set to be recorded on Saturday, but due to a health camp organized by the Bar Association on the civil court premises, lawyers were occupied, and no court proceedings could be held.
“The court has postponed the matter to October 1,”
-Pandey stated.
The defamation case was initiated after Gandhi allegedly made objectionable comments about Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka polls, sparking outrage within the BJP.
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The case originated from comments Rahul Gandhi made during a 2018 political rally in Karnataka. Vijay Mishra, along with other BJP supporters, found the remarks concerning Amit Shah, then BJP president, to be offensive. In response, Mishra lodged a formal complaint in August 2018, and the matter has been ongoing in the MP-MLA court since.
Under increasing pressure, Gandhi appeared before the court on February 20 of this year, during the “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,” and was granted bail upon providing personal surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
Over the years, the case has seen several delays. After Gandhi’s surrender, the court issued multiple notices, asking him to appear and record his statement. However, Gandhi’s appearances were repeatedly postponed due to the Lok Sabha elections and other political engagements.
Finally, on July 26, Rahul Gandhi appeared before the MP-MLA court and recorded his statement, in which he claimed that the defamation case was filed to gain “cheap publicity.” Gandhi appeared before Special Judge Shubham Verma and stated that he had not made any defamatory remarks that could lead to legal action. His lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, told reporters, “The former Congress chief said he never gave a statement against anyone that could lead to a case of defamation.”
The defamation case has faced further postponements since Gandhi’s statement was recorded. The court scheduled the next hearing for August 12, but that session was deferred because the judge, Shubham Verma, was on leave.
On August 23 and again on September 5, hearings were also delayed, but this time it was due to the plaintiff’s inability to attend court. Vijay Mishra’s lawyer stated that his client had fallen ill, making it impossible for him to appear in court on both dates.
