RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court on Friday dismissed the petition filed by former Congress President and MP Rahul Gandhi for quashing the proceedings in the trial court in connection with a criminal defamation suit filed against him for calling the then BJP President Amit Shah a "murder accused."
The court has also given the go-ahead for a trial against Rahul Gandhi in the MP-MLA court.
On February 16, Gandhi's written version was presented in the court, after which the court of Justice Ambujnath had reserved the decision. A local BJP worker Naveen Jha had filed a petition in Ranchi Court regarding his comment on Amit Shah.
Rahul Gandhi had made derogatory remarks against Amit Shah while addressing a public meeting in Chaibasa during the 2018 Lok Sabha election campaign. He had said, “The people of this country will accept a lying Bharatiya Janata Party leadership drunk with power because they know that, what the Bharatiya Janata Party is designed for''.
He further went on accusing BJP to "accept a man accused of murder as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but the people will never accept the same in the Congress Party”
The MP-MLA court in Ranchi had summoned Rahul Gandhi in the case and he was directed to be physically present in the court, against which, Rahul Gandhi moved to Jharkhand High Court for relief.
The Jharkhand High Court upheld the decision passed by the then Judicial
Commissioner in Ranchi which pima facie has found the case to be true against Rahul Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code.