Ranchi: An MP-MLA court in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa has yet again issued a non-bailable warrant against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case, ordering him to appear in person before the court on June 26. The court rejected a plea by Rahul’s lawyer seeking exemption from personal appearance.
The matter dates back to 2018 when Rahul had allegedly made adverse comments against then BJP president Amit Shah.
In January this year, the Supreme Court had granted interim relief to Rahul in a similar matter and had sought replies from the Jharkhand government and complainant Naveen Jha.
In the present case, the complainant is BJP leader Pratap Katiyar. In his speech during the Congress’s plenary session in 2018, Rahul had allegedly said that even someone facing “charges of murder” could become the president of the BJP.
Alleging that Gandhi’s remark was defamatory and insulted all BJP workers, Katiyar filed a case against him on July 9, 2018, before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Chaibasa.
Following a directive from the Jharkhand High Court, the defamation case was transferred to the MP-MLA court in Ranchi in February 2020.
Subsequently, the case was sent back to the MP-MLA court in Chaibasa, where the magistrate took cognisance of the matter and issued a summons to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Despite repeated summons by the court, Gandhi skipped appearances. Initially, a bailable warrant was issued. Then, Gandhi approached the Jharkhand High Court seeking a stay on the warrant. The plea was disposed of on March 20, 2024.
Later, the Raebareli MP filed a petition for exemption from personal appearance. It was also dismissed by the Chaibasa court.
Now, the special court has taken a strict approach by issuing a non-bailable warrant.
