Jharkhand Court Issues Non-Bailable Warrant Against Rahul Gandhi In Defamation Case
The MP-MLA Special Court in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, has issued a non-bailable warrant against senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with a 2018 defamation case.
The court has directed Rahul Gandhi to appear in person on June 26.
The case stems from alleged derogatory remarks made by Rahul Gandhi during a Congress party event in 2018, in which he is accused of making disparaging comments about the then-BJP National President, Amit Shah.
According to the complaint filed by Pratap Katiyar, a resident of Chaibasa, Gandhi had remarked that 'no murderer can become the National President in Congress. Congressmen cannot accept a murderer as the National President, this is possible only in the BJP.'
The complainant viewed this as a defamatory statement directed at Amit Shah and lodged a complaint on July 9, 2018.
In April 2022, the Chaibasa court had initially issued a bailable warrant against Rahul Gandhi after no response was received. However, when Gandhi failed to respond, the court escalated the matter and issued a non-bailable warrant in February 2024.
Gandhi's legal team sought an exemption from personal appearance in the Chaibasa court, but the plea was rejected.
The Congress leader subsequently approached the Jharkhand High Court, which granted him interim relief and stayed the warrant for several months.
However, in March 2024, the High Court disposed of the petition, paving the way for the trial to proceed in the lower court.
Following the resumption of hearings, Gandhi's counsel again requested exemption from personal appearance, which was once again turned down by the Chaibasa court.
A defamation case against Rahul Gandhi is also going on in the Sultanpur court. On May 17, the hearing in the case could not take place as there was a workshop for lawyers.
He had appeared in person in the Sultanpur court in July last year. This defamation case is also related to Rahul Gandhi's remarks against Amit Shah.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Bengal: ‘How can PM take credit for Operation Sindoor' — Hakim's remarks spark row, BJP says ‘insult'
KOLKATA MAYOR and State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim sparked a controversy on Saturday after his remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with Operation Sindoor. The BJP reacted sharply, alleging that the TMC leader 'insulted' the PM and tried to 'downplay' Operation Sindoor. The TMC did not immediately respond to Hakim's remarks. While speaking to mediapersons, Hakim claimed, 'The Indian armed forces gave a befitting answer to Pakistan. How can the PM claim that he has done anything big? How can he take credit for Operation Sindoor?' In a post on X later on Saturday, the BJP wrote, 'Firhad Hakim — Mamata's loudest mouthpiece and the same man who once called parts of Kolkata 'mini Pakistan' — has now crossed every line. He downplayed Operation Sindoor, insulted PM Modi…this isn't political opposition — this is verbal treason. And Mamata Banerjee? Silent…' The BJP's state president Sukanta Majumdar said, 'Basically, Hakim has never taken a stance against Pakistan. During the erstwhile UPA government's tenure, no such steps were taken against Pakistan. That is why Hakim and some others are now finding it tough to accept that it was done.' Attaching a video of Hakim's purported remarks, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya accused the senior TMC leader of making a 'disgraceful attack' on the PM. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Ex-min Netam switches stand on delisting of tribals, questions Cong
Raipur: Former Union minister and senior tribal leader Arvind Netam after attending a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ) event in Nagpur, said that the visit offered him a new perspective on the Sangh's inner workings. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Speaking to the mediapersons on Saturday in Raipur, Netam said he discussed measures to reduce the ideological distance with tribal people. Netam also thanked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for inviting him. Netam announced a change in his position on the issue of delisting, which refers to the removal of individuals from the Scheduled Tribe list if they convert to another religion. He said that although he once opposed delisting, he "now supports it as a way to check forced or induced religious conversions among tribal people". Responding to the criticism from Congress MP Deepak Baij, who questioned Netam's growing proximity to the RSS, Netam hit back by asking whether Baij himself had "converted to Christianity". Netam further challenged the Congress party to clearly state its position on religious conversions. He brought up the protection of tribal land, forests, and water resources as another major concern. He argued that land acquisition for industrial use must not result in the permanent loss of tribal-land ownership. Instead, he suggested that such land be provided on lease, allowing tribal families to retain their rights and connection to their land.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru stampede: Panel gets one month to probe stampede
Bengaluru: Karnataka govt Saturday gave retired high court judge Justice John Michael D'Cunha, who heads a one-member judicial commission, one month to investigate the stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 people dead and 75 injured. The govt issued a fresh notification on June 5, assigning priority to the probe into the tragedy that occurred during RCB's IPL victory celebrations. Justice D'Cunha was already heading a commission investigating two sensitive cases — the alleged Covid-era medical procurement scam and deaths of patients due to suspected oxygen shortage at Chamarajanagar district hospital. Initially appointed on Aug 25, 2023, the commission's term was extended in Oct 2024 till July 31, 2025. To accommodate the stampede inquiry, the govt has now extended the panel's term by another month. "Since the commission needs to prioritise the stampede incident and submit its report in a month after completing probe, the term has been extended from Aug 1 to Aug 31, 2025, as it may need extra time to look into the case," the government order stated. The Congress govt has launched a three-tier investigation into the incident — judicial, magisterial and by Criminal Investigation Department (CID). While Justice D'Cunha leads the judicial inquiry, a magisterial probe is being conducted by deputy commissioner of Bengaluru Urban, and CID is holding a parallel investigation. Multiple probes confusing: HD Kumaraswamy Union minister HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S) slammed the govt's approach, calling out the multiple probes as overlapping and confusing. "The govt wants to show that it has taken measures before the high court takes up the suo-motu PIL into the issue. The govt first ordered a magisterial probe, then appointed a commission headed by a retired HC judge, and the case was also handed over to CID. Which report are you going to accept?" he asked.
