Jharkhand court issues nonbailable warrant against Rahul Gandhi in defamation case

Ranchi, May 24 (IANS) 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.