In a claim for defamation brought by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth wing leader Naveen Jha, a special Jharkhand MP MLA court on Tuesday summoned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and requested that he appear in court on June 11.
The summons was issued three months after Gandhi's appeal to challenge the criminal proceedings in the case was denied by the Jharkhand High Court. The BJP's youth wing's state working committee member and lawyer for Jha, Vinod Sahu, said that the summons was issued following a petition for the issuing of a non-bailable warrant (NBW). For NBW, we have prayed. which resulted in a summons from the MP MLA special court of Sarthak Sharma. Following the election, on June 11, Rahul Gandhi has been invited to appear before the court, according to Sahu.
Gandhi made a speech against the BJP on March 18, 2018, during the Congress plenary session, saying that "the people of this country will accept a lying Bharatiya Janata Party leadership drunk with power because they know what the Bharatiya Janata Party is designed for." Sahu said that Gandhi's remarks caused Jha to approach the court.
Gandhi said, "The people will never accept the same in the Congress Party, but they will accept a man accused of murder as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party."
"Once the summons reaches us, we will pray for the dispensation of Rahul Gandhi's personal appearance," stated Kaushik Sarkhel, Gandhi's advocate. A personal presence was granted by the court in two previous cases of a similar kind. According to a high court counsel who is familiar with the case, there are ups and downs throughout the proceedings.
"Gandhi contested the defamation complaint brought by Jha against Rahul Gandhi on March 18, 2018, and the criminal proceedings against him that were initiated by the MP MLA court, before the SDJM court presided over by Ajay Kumar Guria. On July 7, 2018, Guria granted a ruling in favor of Rahul and dismissed Jha's case. Jha then appealed Guria's order to the court of judicial commissioner Navaneet Kumar, who dismissed Guria's order and issued a ruling in Jha's favor. Navaneet Kumar overturned Guria's ruling, and on November 28, 2018, the MP MLA court reopened the criminal case. In December 2018, Rahul went to the Jharkhand High Court to contest Navaneet Kumar's order. The Jharkhand High Court ordered no coercive action, although Rahul's plea was eventually dismissed by Covid on February 21, 2024. A summons has been issued once more," the advocate said.
