A local court has rescheduled the hearing in the defamation case against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to July 18, over his controversial “fighting the Indian state” remark, which caused strong political and legal reactions nationwide.
A local court scheduled a hearing for July 18 regarding a case against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi concerning his controversial remarks about “fighting the Indian state itself.”
Additional District Judge (ADJ-II) Aarti Faujdar set this date due to the absence of Gandhi’s lawyer, as his junior requested a postponement, according to petitioner’s counsel Sachin Gupta.
Gupta noted that they requested the court to ensure Gandhi’s presence.
During the inauguration of the Congress’ new headquarters in Delhi on January 15, Gandhi asserted that the BJP and the RSS had taken control of every institution in the country, stating,
“We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself.”
The petitioner, Simran Gupta, representing an organization called Hindu Shakti Dal, claimed that Gandhi’s statement showed disrespect towards the citizens and democracy.
She expressed,
“Rahul Gandhi’s statement deeply hurt the sentiments of people across the country.”
After initially approaching the District Magistrate and the SP in Sambhal without any action, she filed a case in court on January 23.
The court had previously instructed Gandhi to appear on April 4, later extending the date to May 7 for him to submit his response. In the last hearing in May, when Gandhi’s counsel was absent, a junior lawyer sought an adjournment, which the court granted, rescheduling the matter for June 16.
Defamation Cases Against Rahul Gandhi
“Modi surname” case (Surat, 2019)
BJP MLA Purnesh Modi initiated a criminal defamation suit after Rahul Gandhi stated, “Why do all thieves … have Modi in their names?” In March 2023, he was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison under IPC Sections 499/500; however, the Supreme Court later suspended this conviction.
Savarkar remark defamation case (Pune, 2025)
Satyaki Savarkar has filed a case over allegedly defamatory comments made by Gandhi during a speech in London regarding Vinayak Savarkar. The next hearing is set for July 3, 2025, with the court requesting the book that Gandhi referenced.
Amit Shah remark case (Sultanpur, 2018)
A BJP politician, Vijay Mishra, filed a suit related to Rahul Gandhi’s alleged defamatory comments about Amit Shah during the Karnataka elections. Cross-examination has been completed, but the hearing has been adjourned multiple times, with the latest witness examination occurring in February 2024.
Also Read: BREAKING |Allahabad High Court Dismisses PIL Claiming Rahul Gandhi Has Dual Citizenship
Indian Army remark case (Lucknow, 2022)
Retired BRO director Udai Shanker Srivastava filed a complaint regarding remarks made by Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Allahabad High Court dismissed Gandhi’s plea to quash the summons, stating that the remarks were “made with evil intention.”
Chaibasa warrant case (Jharkhand, 2018)
In May 2025, a special MP-MLA court in Chaibasa issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) requiring Gandhi to appear personally in connection with a defamation suit related to remarks made about Amit Shah in 2018.
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