The Supreme Court on Monday extended by four weeks the stay on criminal defamation proceedings against Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in connection with his 2022 remarks on the Indian Army during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Vipul M. Pancholi passed the order after Gandhi’s counsel sought additional time to respond to an affidavit filed by the Uttar Pradesh government. Rahul Gandhi,
The defamation case was filed by Uday Shankar Srivastava, a retired Border Roads Organisation director, who alleged that Gandhi’s statements were “false and baseless” and aimed at demoralising the Army.
The case pertains to Gandhi’s December 9, 2022, comments in which he alleged that the Chinese Army had captured 2,000 sq km of Indian territory and “thrashed Indian soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh.”
The Supreme Court, which had earlier stayed the proceedings on August 4, adjourned the matter to the week beginning November 20.
The bench also agreed to examine the legal question of whether the trial court erred in summoning Gandhi without first hearing him under Section 223 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
