Defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: Hearing postponed to Sept 21
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): The hearing in the MP-MLA court here in a case of defamation against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was on Thursday postponed due to unavailability of the complainant's lawyer.
Plaintiff Vijay Mishra's advocate Santosh Kumar Pandey cited several cases scheduled in different courts on Thursday, and sought additional time, which the court of special judge Shubham Verma accepted. The next hearing has now been set for September 21.
Gandhi has been accused of making objectionable comments during the 2018 Karnataka polls about Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was then the BJP president.
Mishra, a local BJP politician and former cooperative chairman, filed a complaint in August 2018. Since then, the matter has been ongoing in court.
During the "Bharat Jodo Yatra," Gandhi surrendered before the court on February 20, 2024, and was granted bail on personal surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
Following that, the court issued several notices for him to record his statement, but he was unable to appear during the Lok Sabha elections.
Subsequently, the court ordered him to present himself, leading to his appearance on July 26, when he recorded his statement in the MP-MLA court and said the case was filed to gain "cheap publicity".
Gandhi, who appeared before Special Judge Verma, said he never gave a statement against anyone which could lead to a case of defamation, his lawyer Kashi Prasad Shukla had told reporters.
The matter was posted for further proceedings on August 12, but deferred as the special judge was on leave.
On the next two dates of August 23 and September 5, the hearing did not take place as the plaintiff could not appear in the court citing ill health.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Another video of Karnataka HC judge making gender-insensitive comment surfaces
In previous video, Judge was seen referring Muslim dominated area in Bengaluru as Pakistan
Bengaluru: Hours after a video of Karnataka High Court judge Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority area in West Bengaluru as "Pakistan" went viral, another video has surfaced showing the judge making a gender-insensitive remark.
In this newly surfaced video, Justice Srishananda is seen reprimanding a woman lawyer for answering a question directed at the counsel for the opposite party. The judge, in a light-hearted manner, commented that the woman seemed to know so much about the opposite party that she might even reveal the colour of his undergarments next.
The video captures the judge first questioning a male lawyer, asking, "You can’t write on a cheque just because it is empty. He will go to jail for 3 years. Do you understand that?" The male advocate responded in the affirmative, following which the judge inquired if the person in question was an income tax assessee.
Before the male lawyer could answer, the opposing counsel, a woman lawyer, replied that the individual was indeed an income tax assessee. The judge then asked her why she was responding, saying, "Wait, amma," prompting the lawyer to apologise. Justice Srishananda then added, "You know everything about him. If asked tomorrow, you will tell what colour of undergarment he wears," smiling as he made the comment, which also drew smiles from the other counsel present.
This second video has stirred further outrage on social media, with many demanding action against the judge for his inappropriate comment.
Senior Advocate Indira Jaising shared the video on her X account, calling for the Chief Justice of India to take suo motu action. "We call upon the Chief Justice of India to take suo motu action against this judge and send him for gender sensitisation training," Jaising posted.
One more video of the judge is currently viral.
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) September 19, 2024
Lady lawyer. Yes. He is an income tax assessee.
Judge. Wait Amma. Why are you telling? You know everything about him. Tomorrow morning you will tell which colour undergarment he wears. https://t.co/bjiPFOeaKu pic.twitter.com/FTFT4imtMG
