A special MP-MLA court in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, has issued a non-bailable warrant against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, directing him to appear in person on 26 June in connection with a defamation case stemming from remarks made in 2018 about then Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah. The court dismissed Gandhi’s plea for exemption from personal appearance, citing his repeated non-compliance with summons.
The case was initiated by BJP worker Pratap Kumar, who filed a complaint in 2018 after Gandhi referred to Shah as a “murder accused” during a speech at the All India Congress Committee plenary session in New Delhi. At the time of Gandhi’s statement, Shah had already been discharged by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Mumbai in 2014 concerning a 2005 fake encounter case.
The Chaibasa court initially issued a bailable warrant in April 2022 after Gandhi failed to respond to earlier summons. Subsequently, a non-bailable warrant was issued when he continued to abstain from court appearances. Gandhi challenged the proceedings in the Jharkhand High Court, which temporarily stayed the warrant in March 2024. However, the High Court later vacated this stay, noting Gandhi’s lack of readiness for hearing. In May 2024, the High Court imposed a fine of ₹1,000 on Gandhi for delaying his response to the court’s notice.
The Supreme Court intervened in January 2025, staying the defamation proceedings and issuing notices to the Jharkhand government and the complainant, requesting their responses within four weeks. Despite this, the Chaibasa court has now mandated Gandhi’s physical presence, emphasizing the necessity of his appearance for the trial to proceed.
Gandhi’s legal team has argued that the defamation complaint lacks merit, asserting that only the directly aggrieved party—in this case, Amit Shah—has the standing to file such a case. They contend that the complaint by a third party does not hold legal validity. However, the courts have thus far allowed the proceedings to continue.
This case is among several defamation suits filed against Gandhi across various jurisdictions. In a separate case in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi was granted bail in February 2024 after referring to Shah as a “murder accused” during a 2018 speech. Additionally, in Bengaluru, he secured bail in June 2024 in a defamation case filed by the Karnataka BJP unit over advertisements published during the 2023 state assembly elections.
Participation Of Well Known Rapper Vedan In Poll Rallies Is A Big Boost To LDF In Kerala 