A special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur conducted a hearing on Thursday in a defamation case against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and further proceedings including cross-examination will continue on January 10, a lawyer said.
The case pertains to an alleged objectionable remark made by Rae Bareli Congress MP about Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka assembly elections, prompting a local BJP politician to file a complaint.
"Today, cross-examination of the complainant, Vijay Mishra, took place. As the questioning could not be completed, the next hearing has been scheduled for January 10," Gandhi's lawyer Kashi Prasad Shukla said.
Mishra's lawyer, Santosh Kumar Pandey, said, "Rahul Gandhi's counsel cross-examined my client today regarding the defamation case. The next steps will proceed on January 10."
The case was filed in 2018 by Mishra, a BJP politician and resident of Hanumanganj in Sultanpur's Kotwali Dehat area. Mishra alleged that Gandhi's remark on Shah during the Karnataka elections was offensive and had deeply hurt him.
Over the past five years, the case underwent multiple proceedings, but Gandhi reportedly failed to appear in court. Consequently, in December 2023, a warrant was issued, compelling Gandhi to appear in the court. In February 2024, the Congress leader complied with the summons and the special magistrate granted him bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.
Following this, the court instructed him to record his statement, which was finally completed on July 26, 2024, though after multiple postponements.
In his statement, Gandhi pleaded not guilty and claimed the case was a part of a political conspiracy against him. Subsequently, the court directed the complainant to present evidence.
Although a hearing was initially scheduled for December 16, it was postponed due to the judge's leave and was rescheduled for January 2.
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