Uttar Pradesh: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was arrested and bailed by a court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday in connection with a defamation case filed by a BJP leader for his alleged remark against Home Minister Amit Shah in 2018.
Gandhi, who appeared before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Anil Kumar, was taken into custody for about 30 to 45 minutes and later granted bail on a personal bond of ₹20,000, his lawyer Santosh Pandey said.
The case was lodged by BJP leader Vijay Mishra, who accused Gandhi of calling Shah a “murderer” at a press conference in Bengaluru on May 8, 2018. Mishra claimed that Gandhi’s statement was false, malicious, and defamatory, and sought his prosecution under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with criminal defamation.
Gandhi, who is also facing several other defamation cases across the country, denied the allegations and said that he had not made any objectionable comment against Shah. He also said that he was ready to face trial and prove his innocence.
The court fixed March 6, 2024, as the next date of hearing in the case.
Gandhi’s arrest and bail sparked reactions from both the ruling and the opposition parties. While the BJP said that Gandhi had no respect for the law and the dignity of the constitutional posts, the Congress said that the BJP was misusing the legal system to harass and intimidate Gandhi.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that Gandhi was fighting for the truth and the rights of the people, and that no amount of pressure or coercion could deter him from his mission. He also said that the BJP was afraid of Gandhi’s popularity and his expose of the Modi government’s failures and corruption.
