NEW DELHI: The Sultanpur MP-MLA court was unable to hear a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi related to a 2018 incident, as the plaintiff, Vijay Mishra, was unable to attend due to ill health, according to his lawyer, Santosh Kumar Pandey. The court has now scheduled the next hearing for September 5.
Mishra’s lawyer stated, “Mishra did not appear in court today due to ill health. An application was submitted requesting additional time to present evidence, which the court accepted, and the MP-MLA court has set September 5 as the new hearing date. On that day, the plaintiff will need to present evidence through his lawyer.”
Gandhi’s lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, confirmed that the plaintiff could not attend the court due to health issues, and the hearing has been rescheduled for September 5.
The defamation case stems from remarks allegedly made by Gandhi against senior BJP leader Amit Shah during the Karnataka elections in 2018. In August 2018, Mishra, a local BJP leader and former cooperative chairman, filed a complaint that led to the case.
Gandhi surrendered to the court on February 20, 2024, during the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ and was granted bail on two personal bonds of Rs 25,000 each. He was subsequently summoned multiple times by the court to record his statement.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi cited campaign engagements as the reason for not attending court, leading the court to issue a strict order for his appearance. On July 26, Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, appeared before the Sultanpur court and recorded his statement.
A hearing based on evidence was initially scheduled for August 12, but it was postponed because the judge of the MP-MLA court was on leave.