NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday in its interim order extended the stay of proceedings till April 22, 2026, against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, for his alleged defamatory remarks against the Indian Army during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022-23.
"We extend the stay of proceedings in the case," said a two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and adjourned the proceedings in the matter till further hearing.
The bench said it will hear the matter in detail later. It was hearing Gandhi's appeal challenging a May 29 order of the Allahabad High Court dismissing his plea challenging the trial court's summoning order in the case.
The matter pertains to the defamation complaint filed by Uday Shankar Srivastava, the former Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director, against Gandhi for his alleged derogatory remarks on December 16, 2022, during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Srivastava's case was pending in a Lucknow court.
In May, the Allahabad High Court had rejected Gandhi's plea challenging the issuance of a summoning order by an MP/MLA court in Lucknow against him, forcing him to knock on the doors of the apex court for relief.
In the earlier hearing, the Supreme Court had slammed senior Congress leader, Gandhi, for his alleged comments regarding China capturing Indian territory and said if he was a 'true Indian', he should not have said these things.
The apex court also had earlier strongly disapproved of Gandhi making irresponsible statements regarding China capturing Indian territory.
"How do you (Gandhi) get to know that 2000 sq km was acquired by China? Do you have any credible material? A true indian will not say this. Why can't you ask the question in the parliament," earlier the court had questioned him.
The top court had also observed against Gandhi that the LOP should not have made a statement when there is a conflict on the border. "But you are a leader of the Opposition," it added.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, senior lawyer appearing for Gandhi, had in an earlier hearing argued that one cannot harass somebody like this with defamation charges. "If he cannot say all this as Leader of Opposition, then how will it pan out?" he had said earlier.