
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the trial court proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case filed against him for alleged defamatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
During a rally in Chaibasa before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi had allegedly called Amit Shah a 'murder accused.'
The case was filed by a BJP leader Navin Jha.
A two-judge bench of the apex court, led by Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta passed the order stating, "Further proceedings in the trial shall remain stayed."
During the hearing on Monday in the top court, Senior advocate, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Gandhi remarked, "If you are not the person aggrieved, then how can you have a proxy filing of complaint?"
After hearing the submission from Singhvi, the apex court issued a notice to the Jharkhand govt and complainant (Jha).
Gandhi had moved the apex court after the Jharkhand High Court dismissed his petition in February last year, seeking to quash a 2018 defamation case going on in a trial court.
The Jharkhand HC Judge, Justice Ambuj Nath had dismissed Gandhi’s plea, after finding the comments 'prima facie defamatory in nature.'
In his complaint, Jha alleged that Rahul Gandhi had made the remark during a Congress plenary Session on March 18, 2018.
He said that the comments were an insult to all workers, supporters and leaders "who have been working selflessly for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)".