New Delhi, Oct. 13: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the trial against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case arising from his 2018 remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Rafale fighter jet deal.
A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh also sought a response from the Maharashtra government within four weeks. “Issue notice. Returnable in 4 weeks. Stay on trial,” the bench said in its order.
The case relates to remarks allegedly made by Gandhi in 2018 in which he used expressions such as “commander-in-thief” and “Choron Ke Sardar” while targeting Modi over the Rafale deal.
The complaint was filed by BJP member Mahesh Shrishrimal before a magistrate court in Girgaon, Mumbai.
Shrishrimal alleged that Gandhi had made defamatory statements against the Prime Minister during a rally in Rajasthan in September 2018.
According to the complaint, the remarks were subsequently widely circulated and discussed on news channels and social media platforms.
The magistrate summoned Gandhi in August 2019.
Gandhi later approached the Bombay High Court challenging the summoning order after receiving the summons in July 2021.
Pramod kumar is a Senior Journalist, Covering Supreem Court of India
