Hearing in defamation case against Rahul Gandhi in UP postponed to October 31

SULTANPUR (UP) — The hearing in the MP-MLA court here in a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, scheduled for Thursday, was postponed as the special judge was on leave.

The next date of the hearing has been set for October 31.

“As the special judge of MP-MLA court, Shubham Verma, was on leave, the date for the next hearing has been set for October 31,” plaintiff’s advocate Santosh Kumar Pandey said.

During the previous hearing in the case on October 9, the court recorded the statement of Vijay Mishra, a local BJP leader who has filed the case against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Gandhi has been accused of making objectionable comments during the 2018 Karnataka polls about Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was then the BJP president.

On July 26, Gandhi had recorded his statement in the court, denying the charges and claiming that the case was politically motivated. The court subsequently directed the complainant to furnish evidence.

Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj in Kotwali Dehat, claimed he was hurt by Gandhi’s alleged remarks against Shah during the Karnataka election campaign.

Due to Gandhi’s non-appearance in court, a warrant was issued in December 2023.

In February 2024, the Raebareli MP surrendered before the court, and was granted bail on two bonds of INR 25,000 each.

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