The Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur has postponed the hearing in the criminal defamation case involving Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The case, which was taken up by the Jabalpur Bench of the High Court, revolves around a defamation complaint filed by Kartikey Singh Chouhan, son of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, against Rahul Gandhi challenging the summons issued by the MP-MLA Court in Bhopal. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha confirmed that there were no significant developments during the recent proceedings, and the case has been adjourned until June.
The defamation allegations stem from comments made by Rahul Gandhi during the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Assembly election campaign. At a rally in Jhabua, Gandhi mentioned the Panama Papers controversy and named Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Kartikey Singh Chouhan. He also drew parallels with the actions taken against former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif post the Panama Papers expose, suggesting no similar actions were taken in Madhya Pradesh. Following the rally, Gandhi clarified that he had mistakenly referred to Kartikey Singh Chouhan and intended to mention the son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh.
Kartikey Singh Chouhan reacted by filing a criminal defamation complaint in the MP-MLA Court in Bhopal, alleging harm to his reputation due to Gandhi’s remarks. Subsequently, Rahul Gandhi appealed to the High Court to dismiss the complaint and the summons. The High Court has instructed that records from the Bhopal court be presented before the next hearing to review the case further.
