Bengaluru: A special court on Saturday ordered Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear before it on June 7 in a defamation case filed by the BJP.
Two other accused in the case, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, appeared before the court and were granted bail.
The private defamation suit was filed by Keshav Prasad, MLC and general secretary of the BJP.
The complaint pertains to an advertisement issued by the state Congress in newspapers last year, alleging 'Corruption Rate Cards' during the previous BJP government in Karnataka, which included the accusation of '40 per cent Commission Sarkara'.
The complainant alleged that the advertisement contained "reckless imputations" against the BJP. It also claimed that the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and three other accused had "conspired and planned to defame the BJP by levelling false allegations."
On April 29, the court allowed all three accused exemption from appearance and scheduled their appearance for June 1, 2024.
During Saturday's hearing, the counsel for Gandhi moved an application seeking exemption from appearance for his client, which the complainant opposed, arguing that repeated exemptions should not be permitted.
The special court judge, K N Shivakumar, allowed the application and directed Gandhi to appear on June 7. "It is made clear that the Accused No .4 (Rahul Gandhi) shall appear before this court on the next date of hearing without fail."
Published 01 June 2024, 14:21 IST