Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ordered to appear before a Bengaluru court on June 7 in connection with a defamation case. The case was filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing Gandhi of making defamatory statements. This legal development follows a series of similar defamation cases against the politician.
Bengaluru : A court directed, On Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear before it on June 7 in a defamation case filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The court also granted bail to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar in connection with the same matter.
The defamation case filed by BJP general secretary Keshav Prasad, alleging that Rahul Gandhi made false claims in political advertisements.
On the recent court proceedings in Bengaluru, Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar appeared in person before the Special Court for People’s Representatives. However, Mr. Gandhi, who also supposed to appear, did not show up.
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The BJP advocates raised objections, arguing that Mr. Gandhi should not be granted an exemption under CrPC 205 as this was his second missed appearance.
In contrast, the Congress advocates contended,
“Mr. Gandhi was attending the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi and was also a contestant in the Lok Sabha polls.”
They requested the court to exempt Mr. Gandhi from the Saturday hearing and assured that he would be present on the next date, which the court granted.
The court directed Mr. Gandhi to be present before it on June 7.
In the run-up to the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election, the Congress party had run a campaign of ’40 per cent Sarkara’, accusing the then BJP government in the state of collecting 40 percent commission on public works and demanding excessive bribes in posting and recruitment processes.
The Congress party released posters featuring a “PayCM” QR code, with an image of the then, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in the center. Scanning the QR code would redirect to a website developed by the Congress, containing allegations of rampant corruption under the BJP’s rule in the state.
The complainant accused the Congress party of running a defamatory campaign against the previous state government.
In response, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated,
“He had appeared in court regarding a private complaint, describing the case as civil and emphasizing his commitment to the legal process.”
The current Chief Minister noted that the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar and Rahul Gandhi also named in the case. All three leaders have requested a permanent injunction to avoid further court appearances related to this matter.
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Mr. Shivakumar stated,
“The Congress party’s advertisements were grounded in remarks by BJP leaders that had been previously reported in the media.”
He declared, ‘the party is ready to face the legal ordeal,’ emphasizing that BJP leaders have alleged significant monetary exchanges for the Chief Minister’s role and other key positions.
The BJP alleged in its complaint that the Congress party had been conducting a defamatory campaign against the BJP government , in power at the time.