Supreme Court stays defamation proceedings against Rahul Gandhi for remarks on Amit Shah
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has stayed criminal defamation proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was booked for calling Union Home Minister Amit Shah a "murder accused."
A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Jharkhand government and the complainant, BJP leader Navin Jha, seeking their responses to Gandhi's plea for quashing the case. The Court also ordered a stay on the trial proceedings until further notice.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Gandhi, argued that the defamation complaint was filed by a third party, which is not permissible under law. Singhvi contended, "If you are not the person aggrieved, how can you have a proxy filing of complaint?"
The case stems from a speech delivered by Gandhi on March 18, 2018, wherein he criticised the BJP and alleged that its leadership accepted a "murder accused" as its president. Following the speech, Jha filed a complaint, which was initially dismissed by a Ranchi magistrate court.
Jha then moved a revision petition before the Judicial Commissioner in Ranchi, who overturned the dismissal on September 15, 2018, and directed the magistrate to reconsider the evidence. Subsequently, on November 28, 2018, the magistrate concluded that there was sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case under s. 500 of the IPC, which penalises defamation. Gandhi was then summoned to appear in court.
Gandhi's challenge to this order before the Jharkhand High Court was dismissed by single-judge Justice Ambuj Nath. The High Court observed that Gandhi's remarks suggested that BJP leaders were deceitful, intoxicated with power, and willing to accept a "murder accused" as their leader. The Court held that these statements were prima facie defamatory under s. 499 of the IPC.
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Fake UK Doctor Impersonator accused of killing 7 patients in Madhya Pradesh
Impersonator was once exposed by Mohammed Zubair
Damoh, Madhya Pradesh – A shocking case of medical fraud has come to light in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district, where a man posing as a UK-based cardiologist allegedly performed fatal heart surgeries on unsuspecting patients. The accused, identified as Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, is accused of faking the identity of British doctor Prof. N John Camm (also spelt by him as "Kem") and taking up employment at a Christian missionary hospital in Damoh.
According to news agency ANI, Yadav conducted several heart surgeries at the hospital without holding any valid medical qualifications. So far, at least seven deaths have been officially linked to his fake procedures, but local authorities and activists fear the real toll could be significantly higher.
This is not the first time Yadav's impersonation of the UK-based doctor has raised red flags. In July 2023, fact-checker and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair had exposed a Twitter (now X) account that was spreading communal misinformation using the name and photo of “Prof. N John Camm,” a respected British cardiologist. Zubair’s investigation revealed that the individual behind the account was actually Narendra Yadav.
The impersonator had gained attention after making bizarre posts such as urging UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to be sent to France to quell riots—clearly attempting to gain traction through politically charged content. Zubair had shared detailed posts linking Yadav’s social media accounts to older fraud and impersonation cases, but despite public exposure, Yadav continued to operate unchecked.
The real Professor John Camm, emeritus professor of cardiology at St George's University in London, had also clarified that someone was misusing his identity online. The matter even led to legal threats against Zubair, as the impersonator attempted to defend his false identity.
This week, fresh revelations have linked Yadav to at least seven patient deaths at the Christ Missionary Hospital in Damoh. Advocate and district child welfare committee president Deepak Tiwari has alleged that the actual death toll might be much higher, as several cases may not have been reported officially.
Tiwari said, “Some patients who did not die came to us and told us about the incident… They had taken their father to the hospital. The guy was ready to operate, but they were apprehensive, so they took their father to Jabalpur. We then learned that this fake doctor was working at the hospital.”
He also added that Yadav has an older criminal case against him in Hyderabad and had failed to submit any valid ID documents at the hospital.
The controversy deepened after it was revealed that the missionary hospital where Yadav was operating receives government funds under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme.
Priyanka Kanoongo, a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), confirmed that they had received a complaint about a fake doctor performing surgeries at a government-aided facility. She stated, “We were told that the hospital is associated with the Ayushman Bharat scheme and taking government money. This is a serious matter. We’ve taken cognisance and launched an investigation.”
Narendra Yadav’s ability to continue impersonating a foreign cardiologist, despite prior public exposure, points to serious lapses in verification and background checks—especially in hospitals receiving government support. What began as a social media impersonation case, flagged in 2023, has now turned into a criminal medical malpractice incident, potentially involving multiple deaths.
I was trolled and abused when I exposed him im 2023. Several right wing trolls supported him and fell for his Natuonalist tweets.
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) April 5, 2025
Now, Prof N John Camm, posed as UK-based cardiologist, forged documents to pass off as a UK-based cardiologist and conducted heart surgeries at the… pic.twitter.com/BvJOFr41jL
Prof N John Camm ji tweeted that he sent a legal Notice. He wants € 10,00,000 as compensation. Claims he is not same as Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav.
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) July 3, 2023
A little background 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/fHRkTLx0ul
