A Special MP/MLA court in Chaibasa on Wednesday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed against him over alleged remarks made against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a 2018 Congress event.
Special Judge Supriya Rani Tigga passed the bail order after Gandhi appeared personally before the court, complying with the directions earlier issued by the Jharkhand High Court.
The case was initiated on a complaint filed by Chaibasa resident Pratap Katiyar, who alleged that Rahul Gandhi had made derogatory comments against Amit Shah during a Congress convention in 2018. According to the complaint, Gandhi had accused Shah of being involved in a murder case.
Gandhi later moved the Jharkhand High Court seeking quashing of the criminal defamation case. However, in February 2025, the High Court dismissed his petition.
Following the High Court’s refusal to quash the proceedings, the Chaibasa court issued a non-bailable warrant against Gandhi on February 27, 2025, for failing to appear in the trial. Gandhi challenged the warrant before the High Court, which stayed its execution.
Subsequently, the trial court issued a second non-bailable warrant and directed Gandhi to appear on June 26. This, too, was challenged by Gandhi before the High Court.
In its ruling, the High Court declined to interfere and instead directed Gandhi to appear before the trial court, leading to his presence in court today.
With Gandhi’s personal appearance, the court granted him bail, allowing the matter to now proceed to trial. The next date of hearing will be fixed by the Chaibasa MP/MLA court in due course.
