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.
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Karnataka procured 16 lakh expired RT-PCR kits during Covid wave: D’Cunha commission
Bengaluru: Justice John Michael D’Cunha’s committee has uncovered significant irregularities in the procurement of medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic, revealing that more than 16 lakh RT-PCR test kits purchased by Karnataka in 2022 under the BJP-led government were either expired or close to their expiry dates.
After irregularities in PPE kit purchases, ventilators have also come under the scanner, with the report highlighting discrepancies amounting to Rs 173.26 crore in purchases made by the Medical Education Department.
The commission has also found that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KSMSCL) that cancelled a supply order for one lakh Rapid Antigen (RAT) kits placed with a Singapore-based company in March 2020 — for delay in supplying — has not recovered the Rs 6.99 crore paid to the company towards the order, as reported by The Hindu on Thursday.
According to the 279-page report on procurements made by the KSMSCL that is compiled in part IV of the report, a payment of Rs 148.84 crore was made by KSMSCL to various suppliers and firms towards procurement of RT-PCR kits from 2020 to 2022.
The Commission’s report, as cited by the publication, stated that there were records indicating procurement of RT-PCR kits, RNA extraction kits and Viral transport media (VTM) of a total value of Rs 106.25 crore during the pandemic in Karnataka. However, according to the report, this procurement was made without administrative approval.
“Since the KSMSCL has failed to discharge its obligation and responsibility, the loss caused to the State exchequer to this extent is required to be replenished by the erring officers and/or officials of the KSMSCL as well as the officers and/or officials of the consignee designated laboratories who received the consignment,” the report said, pegging the losses due to expired kits supplied by companies at Rs 3.11 crore.
In response to the report’s findings, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao criticised the saffron party for profiting from the pandemic. He promised accountability for the irregularities involving PPE kits and ventilators, stating that those responsible would face punishment.
