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 Gandhi in the MP-MLA court.
With this, now a trial will be conducted against him 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.
Gandhi in his statement made on March 18, 2018 in AICC Plenary Sessions had said that, “The people of this country will accept a lying Bharatiya Janata Party leadership drunk with power because they know that, what the party is designed for.” Further he went on to say: “They will accept a man accused of murder as the President of Bharatiya Janata Party but they will never accept the same in the Congress.”
The MP-MLA court in Ranchi had summoned Gandhi in the case and he was directed to be physically present in the court, against which, he moved to Jharkhand High Court for relief. Now on Friday, the HC rejected his petition and ordered a trial against him.
The former Congress chief had made the remarks against Amit Shah while addressing a public meeting in Chaibasa during the 2018 Lok Sabha election campaign. The Jharkhand HC upheld the decision passed by the then Judicial Commissioner in Ranchi which prima facie has found the case to be true against Gandhi under Section 500 of the IPC which observed that, “A prima facie reading of the speech indicates that the reference to the BJP has been abundantly made. It is to be seen if these references amount to defamation or not.”
2018 statement
Rahul Gandhi in his statement made on March 18, 2018 in AICC Plenary Sessions had said that ‘The people of this country will accept a lying BJP leadership’ and that ‘they will accept a man accused of murder as the President of BJP but never accept the same in Congress’.