On Friday, January 17, the Karnataka High Court issued an interim order staying the proceedings in a criminal defamation case pending against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The case was filed by the State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The defamation case arose from alleged remarks made by Gandhi, which were deemed objectionable by the BJP and subsequently challenged in the trial court. With this interim relief, the High Court has temporarily halted further proceedings at the lower court level, providing a momentary reprieve to the Congress leader. The legal battle remains ongoing, with significant political implications as both parties await the court's final determination on the matter.
Senior advocate Shashi Kiran Shetty appeared on behalf of Rahul Gandhi and presented arguments before Justice M. Nagaprasanna, asserting that this was the first occasion on which the case had come up for hearing. Highlighting the circumstances of the matter, Shetty requested the court to consider issuing an interim order to stay the ongoing trial proceedings.
After hearing the submissions, the court took note of the plea and proceeded to issue a notice to the respondent. In its official order, the court stated, "Emergent notice to the respondent returnable by February 20. By way of interim order there shall be a stay of further proceedings." This interim relief provides temporary respite to Gandhi while the legal process continues.
The case in question pertains to a defamation complaint lodged against Rahul Gandhi, which he has challenged through the current petition. The court's decision to stay proceedings marks a critical juncture in the case, allowing further examination of the merits of Gandhi's plea seeking to quash the charges. The next hearing is now set to take place on or before February 20, as directed by the High Court.
The complaint primarily centers around the “Corruption Rate Card” advertisements issued by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. These advertisements allege that specific 'rates' and 'commissions' are being charged by the BJP for appointments and transfers to various positions within government departments. The BJP, however, has dismissed these claims as baseless and stemming from the "fanciful imagination" of the accused.
Additionally, the BJP has objected to the use of the term “trouble engine Sarkar” by the accused, which they argue was intentionally used to replace the commonly recognized phrase “double engine Sarkar.” The party contends that this choice of words was deliberately aimed at tarnishing the BJP’s reputation and undermining its electoral prospects. Notably, the Congress leader had been granted bail by a magistrate's court in June last year.
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