Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has refused to set aside a summons issued to Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in a defamation case related to remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The case stems from a Congress public meeting in Rajasthan in 2018, where Gandhi alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal and criticised the Prime Minister, including calling him the “leader of thieves”. Following this, a BJP functionary, Sree Shrimal, filed a complaint before the Girgaon Magistrate Court in Maharashtra.
After hearing the matter, the Magistrate Court issued a summons to Gandhi in 2019 seeking his explanation. Gandhi later approached the Bombay High Court challenging the summons.
Justice N.R. Borkar, who reheard the petition, held that there was no defect in the Magistrate Court’s order and said the High Court could not interfere. The petition was therefore dismissed.
However, the judge directed the Magistrate Court to defer proceedings on the complaint for six weeks, allowing Gandhi time to approach the Supreme Court in appeal.
