In a significant judicial development, the Supreme Court has temporarily suspended defamation proceedings against Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, pertaining to comments made in 2018 against Union Minister Amit Shah. The remarks, which were alleged to be derogatory, led to a legal battle that has now seen an interim halt by the apex court.
During a session presided over by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, the court not only stayed the ongoing proceedings in a Jharkhand court but also issued notices to the Jharkhand government and BJP leader Naveen Jha, who initiated the complaint. Both parties have been directed to respond within four weeks, with the matter set to be revisited in six weeks.
This interim order came as the Supreme Court considered Rahul Gandhi’s plea to dismiss the defamation case currently underway at an MP/MLA special court in Chaibasa, Jharkhand. Previously, in February of the last year, the court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Gandhi, which he challenged unsuccessfully at the Jharkhand High Court.
Representing Gandhi, Senior Advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi invoked past precedents asserting that a criminal defamation complaint should be filed by the directly aggrieved party and not by a third party acting as a proxy. This legal argument forms the crux of Gandhi’s petition seeking dismissal of the case, highlighting critical considerations about the locus standi in defamation cases.
