Is Rahul Gandhi Appearing in Sultanpur Court Today in a Defamation Case?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
New Delhi, Feb 20 (NationPress) Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, departed from the Lucknow airport on Friday bound for the Sultanpur District Court in Uttar Pradesh, surrounded by heavy security to give his statement in a defamation case concerning comments made about Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
As per party officials, Gandhi is expected to arrive at the civil court around 10:50 a.m. The President of the Congress Uttar Pradesh State, Ajay Rai, remarked, “He is heading to the Sultanpur court today, and he will be present in person. Numerous individuals, including party members, will gather to meet him.”
Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh mentioned, “Rahul Gandhi is on his way to Lucknow from the Delhi airport. From there, he will proceed to the Sultanpur court to engage in the legal proceedings. Following this, he will return to Lucknow and then fly back to Delhi.”
This appearance follows Gandhi's absence at a prior hearing in the MP-MLA court in Sultanpur on January 19, which led the court to set February 20 as the subsequent date.
The defamation suit was initiated in October 2018 by local BJP member Vijay Mishra from the Hanumanganj area in Kotwali Dehat, Sultanpur district. Mishra contended that during a campaign event in Karnataka in August 2018, Gandhi made disparaging remarks about Amit Shah, who was the BJP president at the time. The complainant pointed to Gandhi's remarks, wherein he stated that while the BJP claims to uphold honest and clean politics, it is led by a “party president who is implicated in a murder case.”
The Sultanpur court granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in February 2024 concerning this case.
Additionally, Union Minister Giriraj Singh criticized the Congress leader, stating, “His reckless behavior, anti-India comments, and disapproval of India’s progress clearly show his mindset, indicating an anti-India perspective. It’s difficult to discern whether he aligns with India or opposes it.”
Security measures have been heightened around the court area as party supporters gathered in favor of the Congress leader.