Synopsis
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been summoned by a Lucknow court for a hearing on March 24, regarding allegedly defamatory remarks he made about the Indian Army during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022. This case has drawn significant political attention and controversy.Key Takeaways
- Rahul Gandhi must appear in court on March 24.
- Defamation case linked to comments made during Bharat Jodo Yatra.
- Complaint filed by Uday Shankar Srivastava, a former Border Roads Organisation director.
- Another hearing set for February 24 regarding comments on Amit Shah.
- The case has seen multiple proceedings over the years.
Lucknow, Feb 12 (NationPress) Rahul Gandhi, a prominent Congress leader, has received a court summons from a Lucknow court for March 24 regarding his supposedly defamatory statements about the Indian Army during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Alok Verma has set the hearing for this date, insisting that Rahul Gandhi must appear in court.
The complaint was lodged by lawyer Vivek Tiwari on behalf of Uday Shankar Srivastava, a former director of the Border Roads Organisation, holding a rank equivalent to an Army Colonel.
Tiwari asserted that Gandhi's remarks made on December 16, 2022, concerning a clash between the Indian and Chinese armies on December 9, 2022, were disrespectful and tarnished the reputation of the Indian military.
On February 11, a special court addressed another defamation case against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha linked to a contentious comment made by Gandhi about Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.
The next hearing for this case is scheduled for February 24, during which a witness will undergo cross-examination. The court has also instructed the complainant to provide pertinent evidence.
Over the last five years, this case has seen numerous hearings, but Rahul Gandhi failed to appear until December 2023, after a warrant was issued. In February 2024, he complied with the summons, and the special magistrate granted him bail.
The Rae Bareli MP has maintained his innocence, claiming that the case is part of a political scheme against him.
The controversial claim that 'Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh' — aimed at criticizing the government for its handling of Chinese incursions at the Line of Actual Control — sparked significant backlash and led to a major political controversy.
Several BJP leaders labeled Rahul Gandhi as 'anti-national' and accused his family of benefiting from Chinese support and funding via the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
Despite the criticism, Rahul Gandhi continued to challenge the government on the issue of China.
In March 2023, he faced a temporary ban from attending Parliament after being found guilty in a defamation case related to remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding his last name. The Gujarat court sentenced him to a two-year prison term.
Although the sentence was suspended, it coincided with the timeline needed to disqualify leaders from Parliament, leading the Opposition to claim it was part of a conspiracy against the Congress leader.
Later, Rahul Gandhi received a reprieve from the Supreme Court, which stayed his conviction, emphasizing that the trial judge had imposed the maximum two-year sentence. The court remarked that if the sentence had been a day shorter, it wouldn’t have led to disqualification.
