Sultanpur (PTI) The hearing in the defamation case against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was adjourned on Monday after a witness failed to appear in the MP/MLA court here.

The next hearing has been fixed for October 17, case lawyers said.

Rahul Gandhi's counsel, Kashi Prasad Shukla, said the testimony of a witness, Ram Chandra Dubey, was scheduled for Monday. However, the court postponed the proceedings to October 17 as he did not appear.

Advocate Santosh Kumar Pandey, representing the complainant, also confirmed that the court has fixed October 17 as the next date of hearing. The previous hearing in the case took place on September 23.

The case was filed in 2018 by a local BJP politician Vijay Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj in the Kotwali Dehat area, who alleged that Rahul Gandhi made objectionable remarks during the Karnataka assembly election campaign that year, causing him distress.

After Gandhi failed to appear in the court for several years, a warrant was issued in December 2023. He later surrendered before the court in February 2024, following which the special magistrate granted him bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.

Gandhi, the Rae Bareli MP, recorded his statement before the court on July 26 this year, asserting his innocence and terming the case a "political conspiracy". Subsequently, the court directed the complainant to produce witnesses.

On April 28, the complainant's counsel presented Anil Mishra, a resident of Pitambarpur Kala, as a witness, who was later cross-examined by Gandhi's lawyer, Shukla.

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Hyderabad: A 21-year-old B.Sc student and YouTuber was found dead at her residence in Manikonda, Hyderabad, in an apparent case of suicide. Police said the incident is suspected to be linked to a relationship dispute.

The deceased has been identified as Komali. According to Rayadurgam Inspector Venkanna, she was reportedly in a relationship with Nikhil Reddy, a software engineer and fellow YouTuber from Visakhapatnam.

Preliminary investigation suggests that differences had arisen between the two over marriage. Police said Nikhil Reddy had allegedly been distancing himself from the relationship. About six months ago, Komali had reportedly attempted suicide but was counselled by her family after relatives intervened.

On Monday, when no one was present at home, Komali allegedly hanged herself using a saree at her residence in Manikonda.

The incident came to light after her mother approached the Rayadurgam Police Station and lodged a complaint on Tuesday. Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation.