A Jharkhand High court has summoned Rahul Gandhi on August 6 over his alleged remark targeting Amit Shah. The case arises from a complaint accusing Gandhi of defamation against the current Union Home Minister during a past speech.
The Jharkhand High Court instructed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear before a Chaibasa court on August 6 regarding a defamation case tied to remarks he allegedly made about former BJP national president Amit Shah in 2018.
The court has temporarily suspended the non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against Gandhi by the Chaibasa court until the next hearing.
The case arises from a complaint alleging derogatory comments directed at Shah, who currently serves as the Union Home Minister.
Advocate Vinod Kumar Sahu, representing the complainant, explained,
“Chaibasa court issued a non-bailable warrant against Rahul Gandhi. To avoid the same, a petition was filed by Rahul Gandhi in court today. The court said that this other place will have to be present. So his advocate said that no date suits him, so the court said the date which suits you tell us, so August 6 was decided. So, to get relief from NBW, he urged the court. The court asked to give one undertaking. Then, on behalf of Rahul Gandhi, his advocate gave an undertaking that on August 6, they will be present in the Chaibasa court and will support the court’s work in the court. So, the court further orders that no arrest of Rahul Gandhi will be made till August 6.”
Sahu further noted that in 2018, during a Congress session when he was the party’s national president, Rahul Gandhi remarked that,
“No murderer can become the national president in Congress and that Congresspeople cannot accept any murderer as the national president. In the Bharatiya Janata Party, the killer can become the national president, and only people of the Bharatiya Janata Party can accept the murderer as national president.”
This statement prompted BJP leader Pratap Kumar to file a defamation case against Gandhi. After a legal notice went unanswered, the case was pursued based on substantial evidence, leading to the court’s summons.
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Before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi allegedly made a statement in his speech implying that someone accused of murder could still become the BJP President, indirectly referring to Amit Shah as a “murderer.”
Rahul Gandhi did not appear before the court despite multiple summons. Initially, a bailable warrant was issued against him, which was later converted into a non-bailable warrant in February 2024.