In a significant legal development, a non-bailable warrant has been issued against Leader of the Opposition and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi by the MP-MLA special court in Chaibasa. The order, linked to a 2018 defamation case, mandates Rahul Gandhi’s personal appearance in court on June 26.
The defamation case was filed following controversial remarks allegedly made by Gandhi during the Congress plenary session in 2018. He is reported to have said, “Even a person facing murder charges can become BJP President,” in reference to then BJP National President Amit Shah. BJP leader Pratap Katiyar subsequently filed a petition, claiming that the comment was defamatory and offensive to BJP members.
Initially filed in the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s (CJM) Court in Chaibasa, the case was transferred to the MP-MLA court in Ranchi in 2020 following a directive from the Jharkhand High Court. It was later moved back to the Chaibasa MP-MLA court, where it has since proceeded to trial.
Despite being summoned multiple times, Rahul Gandhi did not attend court hearings, prompting the magistrate to first issue a bailable warrant. When Gandhi sought a stay on the warrant from the Jharkhand High Court, the plea was rejected in March 2024. His request for exemption from personal appearance was also dismissed by the Chaibasa court.
With the latest order, the court has escalated the matter by issuing a non-bailable warrant, making it mandatory for Gandhi to appear in person. The hearing is now scheduled for June 26, and legal observers see this as a critical juncture in the long-standing case.
This development adds to a series of legal challenges faced by the Congress leader and comes at a politically sensitive time, with Parliament sessions and national issues heating up.
