The Supreme Court on Tuesday put a hold on the trial proceedings against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case pending before a Maharashtra court over his remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Aparesh Kumar Singh issued a notice to the Maharashtra government, seeking its response within four weeks.
"Issue notice. Returnable in 4 weeks. Stay on trial," the Court said in its order.
The case relates to comments made by Gandhi in 2018 about the Rafale fighter jet deal, during which he allegedly referred to Prime Minister Modi using expressions such as "commander-in-thief" and "Choron Ke Sardar".
BJP member Mahesh Shrishrimal filed the defamation complaint against Gandhi before the Girgaon Magistrate Court.
According to the complainant, Gandhi addressed a rally in Rajasthan in September 2018, where he allegedly made defamatory remarks against the Prime Minister.
The complainant further alleged that the statements led to Modi being subjected to trolling by various news channels and social media platforms.
In August 2019, the magistrate issued a summons directing Gandhi to appear before the court. After receiving the summons in July 2021, Gandhi challenged the order before the Bombay High Court
