The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday, 25 June ordered the closure of criminal defamation proceedings against Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, after he formally expressed regret over remarks made during the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Assembly election campaign that had allegedly linked Kartikey Singh Chouhan — son of Union Agriculture Minister and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan — to the Panama Papers controversy.

What the Court Ordered

A single-judge bench of Justice Pramod Kumar Agrawal directed that proceedings pending before the High Court, as well as the criminal defamation complaint before the MP-MLA Special Judge's court in Bhopal (complaint case SCPPM No. 03/2018), be closed. The court's order stated: 'considering the statement of the applicant, wherein regret has been expressed, the proceedings before this court are closed and proceedings pending before the JMFC, Special Judge (MP & MLA), complaint case no. SCPPM No. 03/2018, Bhopal, shall also stand closed.'

How the Case Unfolded

The dispute traces back to a speech delivered by Gandhi during an election rally in Jhabua in 2018, in which he allegedly named Kartikey Singh Chouhan in connection with the Panama Papers leak. Kartikey subsequently filed a criminal defamation complaint, contending that the remarks had damaged his reputation.

Before the High Court, Gandhi submitted an affidavit clarifying that Kartikey's name had been mentioned inadvertently due to a misunderstanding, and that he had issued a clarification shortly after the speech stating he had intended to refer to Abhishek Singh, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh. Counsel for Kartikey confirmed to the court that Gandhi had acknowledged the error and expressed regret, and that the complainant had no objection to closure of the case.

Congress Reacts

Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Vivek Tankha, who led Gandhi's legal team in the High Court, described the outcome as a reflection of character. 'Publicly admitting a mistake is the hallmark of a genuine and honest person,' Tankha said, adding that Gandhi 'is a person of spiritual values who follows the path of truth and therefore remains fearless and mentally strong in every situation.' Tankha was joined in the legal representation by Senior Advocate Ajay Gupta and advocates Aishwarya Sahu and Rajeev Mishra.

Significance of the Closure

The court's order brings to an end a legal dispute that had run for nearly seven years, originating in the heat of the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Assembly election campaign. Notably, this is one of several defamation matters that have intersected with Gandhi's political career; the closure — achieved through an expression of regret rather than a contested verdict — sets a procedural precedent for how such politically charged complaints can be resolved. With the complainant accepting the regret and withdrawing further objection, no adverse finding was recorded against Gandhi.