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Ranchi, Oct 9 (IANS) The Jharkhand High Court has granted temporary relief to Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case related to his alleged derogatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
A single-judge bench of Justice Anil Kumar Chaudhary on Thursday set aside the Chaibasa MP-MLA court order taking cognizance of the case and issuing summons to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The High Court also sent the case back to the lower court for fresh consideration. The court said that it appeared that the magistrate was influenced by the directions of the sessions court while taking cognizance.
The case stems from a statement by LOP Rahul Gandhi made during the Congress conference in 2018, where he allegedly called then BJP national president Amit Shah a “killer”. The comment sparked controversy and prompted Chaibasa BJP leader Pratap Katiyar to file a criminal defamation complaint.
According to the complaint, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said, “No murderer can become the national president of the Congress. Congress cannot accept a murderer as its president – this is possible only in the BJP.”
Following the complaint, the Chaibasa MP-MLA court had first issued a bailable warrant against Gandhi in April 2022, and later a non-bailable warrant in February 2024.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s plea for exemption from personal appearance under Section 205 of CrPC was also rejected by the trial court, following which he had to approach the High Court.
In March 2024, the High Court granted him temporary relief and disposed of his petition.
However, the Chaibasa court issued another non-bailable warrant on May 22, 2025, following which Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi appeared in the court on August 6, 2025, and was granted conditional bail.
Subsequently, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi again challenged the MP-MLA court’s decision to take cognizance and issue summons, arguing that the lower court had failed to apply its independent judicial mind.
The High Court accepted this argument and quashed the cognizance order, directing the lower court to reconsider the case in accordance with law.
–IANS
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