A special MP/MLA court in Lucknow on Monday adjourned the hearing of a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, after the complainant's counsel sought additional time to challenge an earlier court order.
Background of the case
The case pertains to alleged objectionable remarks made by Rahul Gandhi against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election campaign. The complainant, BJP functionary Vijay Mishra, had filed the defamation case against Gandhi.
On Monday, final arguments in the case were expected to take place. However, Mishra's counsel, SK Pandey, informed the court that he intended to challenge an earlier order that rejected his application related to evidence verification. Pandey told the court that he plans to file a revision petition before a higher court after obtaining a certified copy of the previous order.
Evidence verification application rejected
Pandey had earlier moved an application seeking verification and matching of Rahul Gandhi's voice sample with an audio recording in a CD submitted as evidence in the case. The application was rejected by the court earlier this month.
On May 2, the MP/MLA court had dismissed an application filed under Section 311 of the CrPC by the complainant's side and fixed May 11 for final arguments.
Previous court proceedings
Rahul Gandhi had surrendered before the Sultanpur court on February 20, 2024, following which he was granted bail on two sureties of ₹25,000 each by Special Magistrate Shubham Verma.
Later, on July 26, 2024, Gandhi recorded his statement before the court under Section 313 of the CrPC, maintaining that he was innocent and alleging that the case was politically motivated.
Following his statement, the complainant's side examined witnesses and submitted evidence before the court. However, Gandhi's counsel reportedly did not file any additional evidence in support of his defence.
The court has now given the complainant time to file the revision petition, and the next hearing date is expected to be announced shortly.
