Supreme Court stays defamation proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over 2018 comments on Amit Shah

The Supreme Court on January 20 stayed the defamation proceedings against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, which was pending in a Jharkhand court over his 2018 comments about Amit Shah.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Jharkhand government and the BJP leader while seeking their response on Gandhi's appeal.

The case was filed by BJP leader Naveen Jha, who accused Gandhi of making remarks during a speech on March 18, 2018, in which he criticized the BJP and alleged that Amit Shah was involved in a murder, a report by Bar and Bench stated.

The court issued notice to the state and the complainant Navin Jha on Gandhi’s petition challenging a February 2024 order of the Jharkhand HC refusing to quash the summons issued to him in the case by the trial court.

Rahul Gandhi granted bail in Savarkar defamation case

On January 11, a special MP MLA Court in Pune granted bail to Gandhi in the Savarkar defamation case. The Congress leader appeared before the court through video conferencing. The next hearing is on February 18.

The complaint was filed against Rahul Gandhi by the grandnephew of VD Savarkar after Rahul Gandhi made an alleged objectionable statement against Savarkar in London in March 2023. According to the complaint, Rahul Gandhi intentionally made false and damaging accusations against Savarkar to tarnish his reputation, causing mental distress to him and his family.

Following the statements made by Rahul Gandhi, in April 2023, Satyaki Savarkar, the grandson of one of Vinayak Savarkar's brothers, filed a complaint with a Pune magistrate regarding alleged defamatory comments made by Rahul Gandhi. These remarks were reportedly made during a gathering in London on March 5, 2023.

(With inputs from PTI)