Daijiworld Media Network - Ranchi
Ranchi, Oct 9: In a significant legal development, the Jharkhand High Court has granted temporary relief to Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in a long-standing criminal defamation case related to his 2018 remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The decision came from a single-judge bench led by Justice Anil Kumar Choudhary, who quashed the Chaibasa MP-MLA court’s order that had taken cognisance of the complaint and issued summons to Gandhi. The High Court found procedural lapses in how the lower court handled the case and has remanded the matter for reconsideration.
The case dates back to a 2018 Congress convention, where Rahul Gandhi allegedly referred to then-BJP president Amit Shah as a “murderer,” triggering sharp political backlash. A defamation complaint was subsequently filed by Pratap Katiyar, a BJP leader from Chaibasa.
According to the complaint, Gandhi had said:
“No murderer can become the national president of the Congress. Congressmen cannot accept a murderer as their president — this is possible only in the BJP.”
Based on the complaint, the Chaibasa court initially issued a bailable warrant in April 2022, followed by a non-bailable warrant in February 2024. Gandhi’s request for exemption from personal appearance under Section 205 of the CrPC was denied by the trial court, prompting him to approach the High Court.
Though he was granted temporary relief by the High Court in March 2024, the Chaibasa court again issued a non-bailable warrant on May 22, 2025. Rahul Gandhi later appeared before the court on August 6, 2025, and was granted conditional bail.
Challenging the cognisance order again, Gandhi argued that the trial court had failed to exercise independent judicial discretion and had instead followed directions from the Sessions Court without proper application of mind.
Agreeing with the argument, the High Court ruled that the magistrate appeared to have acted under the influence of higher court directions and did not properly evaluate the complaint before issuing summons.
The High Court has now set aside the cognisance order and directed the lower court to re-examine the case independently and in accordance with the law.
The ruling provides a temporary reprieve for Rahul Gandhi in a politically sensitive case, while also highlighting procedural scrutiny in criminal defamation proceedings involving public figures.