A special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur on Monday dismissed a criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over remarks he allegedly made about Amit Shah in 2018, according to The Times of India.
The case stemmed from comments Gandhi reportedly made about Shah, who was then the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national president, during a press conference in Bengaluru ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections in May 2018.
According to Kashi Prasad Shukla, one of the lawyers involved in the case, Gandhi had referred to Shah as an accused in a murder case. Shukla described the remarks while speaking about the proceedings, as reported by news agency ANI.
The complaint was filed on August 4, 2018, by Vijay Mishra, a local BJP politician and former chairman of the District Cooperative Bank in Sultanpur. Mishra alleged that Gandhi’s remarks were defamatory.
Gandhi appeared before the court in 2023 and secured bail as the case proceeded through the judicial system.
The court’s dismissal of the case marks the latest development in the legal proceedings arising from the Congress leader’s comments about Shah. The matter had remained pending for several years following the filing of the complaint.
Criminal defamation proceedings in India concern allegations that statements have harmed an individual’s reputation. Such cases can be initiated by individuals who believe they have been defamed, subject to the applicable legal requirements.
The dismissal of this complaint concludes the proceedings in this particular case at the Sultanpur court, although the precise legal grounds for the court’s decision were not detailed in the supplied report.
The development comes as Gandhi continues to serve as a Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Source: The Times of India; ANI
