Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): An MP-MLA court here on Friday postponed the hearing in the 2018 defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged objectionable remarks targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Gandhi's lawyer Kashi Prasad Shukla said due to the death of a lawyer, a condolence meeting was held in the court on Friday and the hearing was postponed to June 18.

The Congress leader appeared in court in the defamation case in February and he was granted bail. The complaint against Gandhi was filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra.

Last December, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi. Subsequently, the Congress leader halted his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi on February 20, appeared in the court, and was granted bail.

The complaint was filed on August 4, 2018, against Gandhi for his alleged objectionable comments against Shah made at a press conference in Bengaluru in May of that year during the Karnataka elections.

The complainant referred to Gandhi's comments that the BJP claims to believe in honest and clean politics but has a party president who is an "accused" in a murder case. Shah was the BJP president when Gandhi made the comment.

About four years before Gandhi's remark, a special CBI court in Mumbai discharged Shah in a 2005 fake encounter case when he was a minister of state for home in Gujarat.

 

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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday offered to facilitate the growth of the information technology industry in Maldives, and expressed keenness to promote the state's handicraft and handloom products to tourists visiting the island nation.

Addressing a delegation led by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, who was accompanied by his wife Sajidha Mohamed, at Raj Bhavan here, he said Karnataka, known as the Silicon Valley of India, has developed an ecosystem for start-ups, Artificial Intelligence, global capacity building centres and innovation.

"I am given to understand that the government of Maldives is interested in having partnerships with the leading IT industry of Bengaluru," he said. "We will be very happy to facilitate the growth of the IT industry in Maldives," he said.

Siddaramaiah said he was pleased to note that Sajidha Mohamed was a student in Bengaluru.

He said the State would be happy to have trade ties with

Maldives to promote the marketing of its handicrafts and handlooms to reach out to a large number of tourists visiting the island nation.

Karnataka, the Chief Minister said, is known for its diversity of nature, culture and rich heritage.

Siddaramaiah noted that the state's tourism tagline is:

“One State, Many Worlds”.

"Apart from almost 300 km of coastline, we have the world's second largest 'Shola Forest' hosting Tiger and Bird Sanctuaries. We look forward to a partnership with Maldives to promote educational and cultural exchange," he added.