The defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saw another delay in the MP-MLA court of Sultanpur district on Tuesday, as the hearing was postponed due to the illness of the plaintiff’s lawyer. The case is now rescheduled for October 9.
The legal representative of the plaintiff, Santosh Kumar Pandey, who is also the lawyer for local BJP leader Vijay Mishra, was reported unwell, prompting the court to adjourn the proceedings. This is not the first delay in this case; previous sessions were also postponed due to various reasons, including a health camp organized by the bar council on September 21.
Rahul Gandhi has been embroiled in this legal battle since a complaint was filed by Mishra in August 2018, accusing Gandhi of making objectionable remarks about then BJP President and current Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka elections.
Gandhi, who has consistently denied making defamatory statements, appeared before the court as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on February 20, where he was granted bail on a personal surety bond of Rs 25,000. Despite several court notices to record his statement, his appearances were delayed due to commitments such as the Lok Sabha polls.
On July 26, Gandhi recorded his statement, dismissing the case as an attempt to garner “cheap publicity.” His lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, conveyed that Gandhi had never made any remarks that could warrant a defamation case.
Further complications arose as the case was set to continue on August 12 but was deferred again due to the presiding judge’s absence. Subsequent hearings scheduled for August 23 and September 5 were also canceled as Mishra could not attend due to ill health.
