LUCKNOW: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi did not appear before the Sultanpur MP/MLA court on Monday in connection with a defamation case against him, following which the court fixed February 20 as the next date of hearing.
Gandhi, the Raebareli MP, was scheduled to record his statement before the court. However, his counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla informed the court that the Congress leader could not be present as he was in Kerala owing to a political engagement.
Taking note of the submission, MP-MLA court judge Shubham Verma granted Gandhi a final opportunity to appear in person. The court had then made it clear that his statement must now be recorded and no further exemptions would be granted.
The defamation case was filed in October 2018 by local BJP functionary Vijay Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj in Kotwali Dehat area of Sultanpur district. Mishra alleged that during election campaigning in Karnataka in August 2018, Gandhi had made objectionable remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah.