RANCHI: In a major relief to former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, the Jharkhand High Court on Thursday put a stay on the proceedings in the MP-MLA Court in connection with a criminal defamation suit filed against him for terming the then BJP President Amit Shah a “murder accused.”

Earlier on March 20, the Jharkhand High Court had put a month-long stay on the non-bailable warrant issued against Rahul Gandhi by the MP-MLA Court in Chaibasa.

The court of Justice Rajesh Kumar has also issued notice to the complainant Pratap Kumar directing him to file a reply within two weeks.

The MP-MLA court of Chaibasa had issued a non-bailable warrant against Rahul Gandhi on February 27.

To stop this, Gandhi had filed a petition in the HC. “One FIR was filed against Rahul Gandhi ji in Chaibasa court allegedly for derogatory remarks against the then BJP President Amit Shah. We moved a petition challenging FIR in which the court has put a stay on the ongoing proceedings in the MP-MLA Court,” said Rahul Gandhi’s Counsel Piyush Chitresh.

The court has also issued notice against the complainant asking him to reply, he added.

Rahul Gandhi had moved to Jharkhand High Court after the MP-MLA Court had turned down his petition seeking exemption from physical appearance in the case.

Notably, days after Jharkhand High Court dismissed the petition filed by Rahul Gandhi for quashing the proceedings in the trial court in connection with a criminal defamation suit filed against him; the MP-MLA Court in Chaibasa had ordered him to appear before it physically on March 27.

Rahul Gandhi had made a statement on March 18, 2018 in the AICC Plenary Sessions in New Delhi stating that, “The people of this country will accept a lying Bhartiya Janata Party leadership drunk with power because they know that, what the Bhartiya Janata Party is designed for”.

Further, he went on saying that, “They will accept a man accused of murder as the President of Bhartiya Janata Party, but the people will never accept the same in the Congress Party.”

Hurt with the statement made by Rahul Gandhi, a BJP worker Pratap Kumar filed a complaint at the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Chaibasa.

The court took cognizance in the matter in February 2022 and then issued summon against Rahul Gandhi, which was received by his office. According to petitioner’s advocate, when Rahul Gandhi did not appear before the court, a bailable warrant was issued against him in April 2022 by the court, but he did not turn up. Then the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

Incidentally, Rahul Gandhi is facing three defamation charges in Jharkhand for his defamatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then BJP President Amit Shah.

Two cases were filed against him in different courts in Ranchi while the third one was filed in Chaibasa.

The first case filed in Ranchi is related to the defamatory statement ‘Sare Modi Chor Hain,’ while the other two cases filed in Ranchi and Chaibasa are related to the defamatory statement made against Amit Shah.

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