New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the defamation proceedings against Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in a case pending in a Jharkhand court. The case pertains to Gandhi’s alleged remark made in 2018, where he was accused of stating that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was involved in a “murder.” The Jharkhand High Court had earlier in February 2024 refused to quash the summons issued by the trial court, prompting Gandhi to challenge the order.
The apex court issued a notice to the Jharkhand state government and the complainant, Navin Jha, directing them to respond to Gandhi’s petition. The petition contests the High Court’s order, which allowed the defamation case to continue despite arguments that the complaint was not filed by the person directly aggrieved by the remark. Gandhi, in his plea, sought a quashing of the defamation case, citing the legal argument that a third-party complaint in a defamation case is not permissible under Indian law.
Senior Counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Rahul Gandhi, raised this issue during the Supreme Court hearing, emphasizing that the defamation charge should not be sustained based on a complaint filed by someone who was not the direct victim of the alleged defamation. Singhvi argued, “If you are not the person aggrieved, how can you have a proxy filing of the complaint?” His argument pointed to the broader legal issue of whether third parties can bring defamation suits on behalf of others who have not been directly harmed by the allegedly defamatory statement.
The case stems from a 2018 speech made by Rahul Gandhi, in which he allegedly linked Amit Shah to the murder of a political leader. Amit Shah had then filed a defamation suit against Gandhi, which eventually led to the filing of the current proceedings in the Jharkhand court.
This development has garnered significant political attention, as it involves high-profile figures from both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress. The Supreme Court’s decision to stay the proceedings offers Rahul Gandhi a temporary respite from the legal battle, and the subsequent hearings will determine the trajectory of the case. As the matter progresses, legal experts and political analysts will closely monitor the outcome, given the potential implications for both the parties involved and the broader political discourse.
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