In a significant legal development, the Karnataka High Court on Friday issued an interim stay on the trial court proceedings against Rahul Gandhi, a prominent Congress leader. The case pertains to a criminal defamation complaint lodged by the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Senior advocate Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing Gandhi, presented the matter before Justice M Nagaprasanna. This marked the first hearing of the case at the High Court level. Following a brief review, Justice Nagaprasanna decreed, “Emergent notice to the respondent returnable by February 20. By way of interim order, there shall be a stay of further proceedings.” The court has scheduled the next hearing for the same date.
The defamation allegations are linked to a campaign advertisement released by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee titled “Corruption Rate Card.” This controversial advertisement accused the then BJP-led government of engaging in rampant corruption throughout its tenure from 2019 to 2023. Specifically, it claimed that BJP leaders were involved in corrupt practices related to government appointments and transfers.
Furthermore, the advertisement coined the term “trouble engine Sarkar,” a play on the popular BJP slogan “double engine Sarkar,” which the BJP contends was an attempt to tarnish its image and undermine its electoral prospects during the assembly elections.
The legal proceedings against Gandhi had progressed to the point where he appeared before the 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on June 1, 2024. Subsequently, in June of the previous year, he, along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, were granted bail in this ongoing case.
