Defamation case: Rahul alleges political malice; UP court sets March 9 hearing
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday appeared before an MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur and recorded his statement in a 2018 defamation case related to his remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Gandhi told the court of Special Judge Shubham Verma that the allegations against him were made out of political malice and with an aim of destroying his image and that of his party, the Congress leader's advocate Kashi Prasad Shukla told PTI.
The court fixed March 9 as the next date of hearing on which the Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli has been asked to furnish evidence in his defence, the lawyer said.
Elaborating about the statement given by the Congress leader in the court, his lawyer said Gandhi denied all allegations levelled against him.
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"The allegations are baseless and unfounded. I have never used derogatory words against anyone, nor have I used such language with the intention of defaming anyone. A false complaint has been filed by distorting my statement," Shukla quoted Gandhi as saying.
"The allegations have been made against me out of political malice with the aim of destroying my image and that of my party. I have never used derogatory words against anyone, nor have I used such language with the intention of defaming anyone," Gandhi told the court
As the Congress leader emerged from the court after recording his statement, party supporters raised slogans hailing him. Gandhi smiled and waved at the crowd before leaving.
Gandhi entered the Sultanpur court around 10.40 am and left after recording statements around 11.15 am.
Ahead of the court hearing, some local Congress leaders had put up posters in Sultanpur that read 'Satyamev Jayate' (truth always triumphs).
The case dates back to 2018 when local BJP leader and former chairman of the District Cooperative Bank Vijay Mishra had filed a defamation complaint against Gandhi, alleging that during the Karnataka elections in 2018, the Congress leader made derogatory remarks against the then BJP president and current Union Home Minister Shah.
Santosh Kumar Pandey, the lawyer representing Mishra, said the cross-examination of the plaintiff and two witnesses has been completed.
The trial has been underway for the past five years. In December 2023, a warrant was issued against Gandhi for non-appearance before the court. He surrendered in February 2024, following which a special magistrate granted him bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.
On July 26, 2024, Gandhi recorded his statement before the court, claiming innocence and terming the case a political conspiracy. Thereafter, the court directed the complainant to produce evidence in the case.
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SC slams police-power nexus, asks court to conclude murder trial against YSRCP MLC by Nov 30
New Delhi (PTI): Observing that the Andhra Pradesh Police is in “complete collusion” with those in power, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered that the trial against YSRCP MLC Anantha Satya Udaya Bhaskara Rao in a 2022 case of murder should conclude by November 30.
Rao, an MLC of the then ruling YSRCP, is accused of killing his former driver Veedhi Subramanyam, a Dalit, over a money dispute in May 2022 in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesg. He was arrested on charges of murder and atrocity under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act).
Passing a slew of directions with an aim to ensure that the probe and trial ends early, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said in its strong comments, “This is a case of complete collusion and hobnobbing. It is a clear case of the nexus between power and police.”
The bench also comprised Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi.
On September 26, 2022, the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed Rao's petition seeking default bail in the high profile murder case. The high court said a chargesheet cannot be termed "incomplete" or "defective" simply because it was returned by a court for technical corrections or missing scientific reports.
On December 12, 2022, the apex court granted Rao interim bail, saying the accused cannot be kept in custody.
On Friday, the CJI-led bench perused the case records and said it was apparent that the state police was “hobnobbing” with the accused and yet he did not get bail from the high court.
The bench asked the chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh high court to entrust the trial in the case to a senior judicial officer who can take up the matter at least once in a week.
While asking the state police to conclude the investigation in the case by March 31, it asked the trial court to complete the issues relating to framing of charges against the lawmaker by April 18, 2026.
The bench granted prosecution time till August 31 to conclude examination of its witnesses in the case.
While granting two months to the accused to lead defence evidence for two months, the bench asked the trial court to conclude the trial by November 30.
It restrained all the courts, including the high court, from passing any order which may lead to halting of trial.
The apex court asked the high court judge in charge of the district where the l will go on to ensure that its procedural directions are followed.
