In a major relief to Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday quashed the criminal proceedings against him in the defamation case filed against him by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav, in his judgement on a plea filed by Congress leader, stated, "The petition is allowed. Allowing the proceedings to continue would amount to an abuse of the process of law." "Proceedings so far as the petitioner (Rahul Gandhi) is concerned is set aside," the Court directed as reported by Bar & Bench.
The defamation complaint was lodged by BJP leader Keshav Prasad against Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar over advertisements and campaign slogans issued by the Congress party ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.
In those advertisements, the Congress had accused the BJP, then the ruling party in the state, of demanding commissions of up to 40 percent from contractors and others for carrying out public works.
In its complaint, the BJP alleged that the Congress leaders had circulated misleading and defamatory advertisements targeting party members, including then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
A Magistrate court granted bail to Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar on June 1, 2024, while Rahul Gandhi was granted bail on June 7, 2024.
