Ranchi – Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to appear before the MP-MLA Special Court in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, on August 6, in a long-pending defamation case tied to a remark he allegedly made against Amit Shah back in 2018.
The complaint, filed by Pratap Katiyar of Chaibasa, centers around Gandhi’s comments at a Congress event that year, where he is said to have remarked that,
“A murderer can never become the Congress party’s national president… This is only possible in the BJP.”
The comment, perceived as a direct jibe at Amit Shah, led to a legal complaint citing defamation.
Despite early legal action, including a bailable warrant in 2022 and a non-bailable warrant in 2024, Gandhi did not appear in court. His legal team’s repeated efforts to secure exemption from personal appearance were rejected by the trial court.
While the Jharkhand High Court offered temporary relief by staying the warrant, the court later dismissed the petition in March 2024, allowing the case to proceed at the local level.
As the court has now made it clear that Gandhi’s physical presence is mandatory, he is expected to appear personally on Wednesday as directed.
The case, tied to comments made during a politically charged period, remains one of the many legal challenges Rahul Gandhi is navigating amidst his active political career.
With inputs from IANS