An MP/MLA court in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur on Tuesday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a 2018 defamation case. The case was filed by the then BJP district vice-president Vijay Mishra for alleged derogatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during an event in Bengaluru.
Rahul Gandhi put his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is passing through UP, on hold on Tuesday to attend the hearing at the civil court. The Yatra will enter its 38th day as Gandhi resumes the rally at 2 PM from Fursatganj in Amethi.
Ahead of the hearing, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: "This morning Rahul Gandhi will be at the District Civil Court in Sultanpur that had issued a summons to him 36 hours earlier to appear before it on a defamation case filed by a BJP leader in August 2018."
"Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will not be derailed. Rahul Gandhi will not be silenced. The Indian National Congress will not be intimidated," he said.
What Is The 2018 Defamation Case Against Rahul Gandhi?
The case was filed against Rahul Gandhi after the Congress leader sought to link Amit Shah to the Justice Loya murder case during a press conference in 2018. Addressing reports at the event in Bengaluru Rahul Gandhi had said, "People forget that the BJP president [Amit Shah] is a murder accused.... The party that talks about honesty and decency, has a person who has been accused of murder as president."
"Amit Shah has been accused of murder, right? The Supreme Court has mentioned the (judge) Loya case. So I don't think Amit Shah has a lot of credibility.... I mean, let's look into his background. Let's see what he is responsible for. Let's see how he does politics. Also, don't forget he is a murder accused. This is fundamental," Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying by The Times Of India.