Defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: UP court adjourns hearing till September 9

Sultanpur: An MP-MLA court in Sultanpur on Friday adjourned the hearing in a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over his alleged objectionable remarks against Amit Shah till September 9 after the advocate appearing for the Congress leader sought more time.

Santosh Kumar Pandey, the advocate appearing for the petitioner and BJP leader Vijay Mishra, said the witness was present in the court to give his statement but the hearing couldn't take place as Rahul Gandhi's advocate, Kashi Prasad Shukla, who was not present in the court, sought more time.

The court has fixed September 9 as the next date of hearing, Pandey said.

Mishra filed the defamation case against Gandhi in 2018 for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Shah, who was the BJP president at the time, while campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly polls.

The complainant cited Gandhi's remarks calling Shah, "who claimed to believe in honest and clean politics", an "accused" in a murder case.

However, about four years before Gandhi made the claims, a special CBI court in Mumbai acquitted Shah in a fake encounter case dating back to 2005, when he was the minister of state for home in Gujarat.

The MP-MLA court had issued a warrant against Gandhi in December 2023. In February 2024, Gandhi surrendered before the court and was granted bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.

On July 26, 2024, the Congress leader recorded his statement in the court, claiming innocence and stating that the case was part of a political conspiracy against him. The plaintiff was then directed to present evidence in the court.

On April 28, Pandey presented a man named Anil as a witness in the court, who was cross-examined by Gandhi's advocate Shukla.