Hearing in 2018 defamation case against Rahul Gandhi postponed due to lawyers' strike

Sultanpur (Uttar Pradesh): The hearing in a 2018 defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in which he was accused of making objectionable remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah who was then the BJP president, was postponed on Wednesday, due to a strike by the lawyers in an MP-MLA court here.

The case was scheduled to be heard on Wednesday but due to the lawyers' strike, the court deferred it to March 22, the counsel for the complainant, Santosh Pandey, said.

A complaint was filed in the MP-MLA court by BJP leader Vijay Mishra in August 2018 against Rahul Gandhi, alleging he made defamatory remarks against HM Shah.

The Congress MP had appeared in the Special MP-MLA court on February 20, and was granted bail.

In the next hearing on March 2, his lawyer Kashi Prasad Shukla sought more time, saying that Rahul Gandhi was busy in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

According to the complainant, Rahul Gandhi had made the alleged remarks at a press conference in Bengaluru in May 2018.

Home Minister Amit Shah was then BJP President when Rahul Gandhi made the remarks.

Vijay Mishra, the complainant, hails from Hanumanganj of Kotwali Dehat Police Station in Sultanpur.

Advocate Santosh Pandey had filed a complaint on behalf of Mishra and the court issued a warrant on December 16, 2023.