The defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pertaining to his 2018 remarks against BJP president Amit Shah has seen another hearing at the MP/MLA court in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
At the previous hearing last month, Rahul Gandhi failed to appear before the court personally. His lawyers cited his responsibilities as leader of opposition in parliament as the reason for his absence.
The judge had expressed unhappiness at repeated non-appearances by Rahul and warned that action could be taken if he does not appear on the next date of hearing scheduled for July 26th.
At today's hearing, Rahul's lawyers once again urged for understanding citing the ongoing parliament session. However, the judge made it clear that no more excuses would be tolerated. Rahul has been summoned to compulsorily appear on July 26th.
The defamation case was filed in 2018 by BJP leader Vijay Mishra from Sultanpur, following Rahul's remarks at a press conference in Bengaluru during the Karnataka assembly elections. Rahul had allegedly called Amit Shah a “murder accused”, referring to the Judge Loya case.
Rahul is facing charges under sections 499 and 500 of IPC dealing with criminal defamation and insult. This case has been ongoing for over 5 years now with multiple hearings where Rahul has failed to appear personally to record his statement.
The latest development ensures that the high profile case will move towards conclusion, one way or the other, after Rahul's next mandatory appearance in court later this month.
