Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is set to appear before the MP-MLA Special Court in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, on August 6 in connection with a 2018 defamation case involving remarks made about then-BJP National President Amit Shah.
The case stems from comments Gandhi allegedly made during a Congress plenary session in March 2018, suggesting that “no murderer can become the National President in the Congress party,” a statement interpreted by complainant Pratap Katiyar as a direct reference to Amit Shah. Katiyar, a BJP leader from Chaibasa, filed the defamation complaint on July 9, 2018, claiming the remarks were both derogatory and defamatory.
The legal process has been protracted. The Chaibasa court initially issued a bailable warrant against Gandhi in April 2022 after repeated summons went unanswered. Gandhi failed to appear in court, prompting the issuance of a non-bailable warrant in February 2024. His legal team sought to exempt him from personally appearing, but the court denied these requests.
Gandhi then approached the Jharkhand High Court, which granted temporary relief by staying the non-bailable warrant for several months. However, the High Court ultimately disposed of his petition in March 2024, allowing the lower court proceedings to continue. After the case returned to the Chaibasa court, Gandhi’s lawyers filed for another exemption, but this too was rejected, and the court insisted on his personal presence.
Now, following a final directive from the court, Rahul Gandhi is expected to appear in person on August 6. The case exemplifies the ongoing legal challenges the Congress leader faces over his political speeches and underscores the court’s insistence on elected representatives’ accountability to judicial proceedings