A Ranchi court summoned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation suit for allegedly referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah as a “murder accused.” The case, filed by BJP worker Naveen Jha, centers on Gandhi’s remarks made during a 2018 program. The court has ordered Gandhi to appear on June 11.
Ranchi: (On May 22): The MP MLA court in Ranchi issued summons to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with an alleged objectionable statement made against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The court has directed Gandhi to appear before it on June 11.
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The case, filed by BJP worker Naveen Jha, revolves around remarks made by Gandhi during a 2018 program, where he allegedly stated that the BJP is the only party that could make a “murderer” its national president. At the time, Amit Shah was serving as the national president of the BJP.
The complainant remarked on Gandhi’s statement in which he claimed that the BJP is trying to uphold dishonest politics and that the leadership was headed by a party president “accused in a murder” case. At the time Gandhi made this statement, Amit Shah held the position of BJP president.
This is not the first instance where the Ranchi MP MLA court has summoned Gandhi. Following the initial complaint, Gandhi had sought relief from the Jharkhand High Court, challenging the summons. However, the High Court did not grant him any relief.
Defamation under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) refers to the act of making a false statement about someone that harms their reputation.
Section 499 and Section 500 of the IPC define defamation as an offense punishable by law.
Section 499 specifies what constitutes defamation, while Section 500 outlines the punishment, which may include imprisonment and/or a fine. Defamation can be either spoken (slander) or written (libel), and it must be proven that the statement was made with the intent to harm the reputation of the individual or entity concerned.
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After the High Court’s rejection of Gandhi’s petition, the MP MLA court resumed the hearing, resulting in the latest summons. The court has now scheduled Gandhi’s appearance on June 11.
“The speech by Rahul Gandhi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership of being liars intoxicated with power, stating that BJP workers would accept a person accused of murder as their president, but the people would never accept the same in the Congress party,” the High Court order stated.
A legal counsel for Rahul Gandhi in Ranchi mentioned that after the High Court dismissed his petition, the complainant likely approached the trial court, resulting in the issuance of the summons.
The counsel added that the exact date for the summons is yet to be determined, but it will be after June 4, following the vote counting.
Vinod Sahu, the lawyer representing Naveen Jha, stating that the course of action and the court’s decision regarding Gandhi will become clear after June 11 hearing.
In a related case in Chaibasa involving the same remarks, Gandhi remains out on bail. The Jharkhand High Court had previously stayed the proceedings of the lower court, offering temporary relief to Gandhi and ruling out any coercion.
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Last week, in a separate case, the Jharkhand High Court imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on Gandhi for failing to file his response within the stipulated time concerning the Chaibasa court case.
