The Supreme Court has issued a stay on the trial against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed by a BJP worker over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The court is seeking responses within four weeks.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued a stay on the trial against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case for referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'choron ke sardar' or 'leader of thieves', according to Live Law. The case was initially filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, following a speech made by Gandhi in September 2018 about the Rafale fighter jet deal. The complainant argued that Gandhi's remarks portrayed BJP members as 'thieves', justifying defamation proceedings. However, Gandhi had challenged the maintainability of the complaint and moved the High Court, arguing that his remarks did not name any political party or its members.
On September 8, the Bombay High Court refused to quash the case against Gandhi, after which he moved the Supreme Court. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Aparesh Kumar Singh issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the complainant seeking their responses within four weeks, as reported by The Hindu.
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