Defamation case: Rahul Gandhi taken into custody briefly, granted bail
What's the story
A local court in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Mishra in 2018. The case was filed by Mishra against Gandhi's alleged remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Prior to the bail, the Congress leader was briefly taken into custody by the Sultanpur court for 30-45 minutes, Gandhi's lawyer Santosh Pandey said.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The development comes just months before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress leader is currently in the middle of his 6,700 kilometers "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra"—the party's outreach campaign in the run-up to the high-stakes polls. To recall, in March 2023, Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after being convicted in the 2019 Modi surname defamation case. He was reinstated as the Wayanad MP later in August by the Lok Sabha Secretariat after the Supreme Court's relief.
Gandhi hits out at Shah
What is the 2018 defamation case against Gandhi?
Gandhi was booked for allegedly making objectionable comments against Shah, the then-BJP national president, at a press conference in Bengaluru on May 8, 2018. He attacked the BJP and said the party claimed to believe in "honest and clean politics" but has a party president who is "accused" of a murder case. Notably, Shah was cleared of charges related to a 2005 fake encounter case four years before Gandhi made the remark.
Possible sentence
Gandhi may face 2-year sentence if found guilty: Counsel
According to reports, Gandhi was released by Judge Yogesh Yadav upon surrendering before the court on Tuesday and posting a bail bond. Later, the court scheduled a new date, despite his counsel claiming that he was innocent and hadn't made any defamatory statements. Gandhi was not able to attend the earlier hearing on January 18 due to his engagement with the yatra. According to Pandey, Gandhi may face a maximum two-year sentence if adequate evidence is proven against him.
Reaction
Mishra responds to Gandhi's bail
In response to Gandhi's bail, Mishra said labeling the then-president of India's largest party as a murderer was "unjustifiable." "I was the vice president of BJP when this incident happened. [Gandhi] accused [Shah] in Bengaluru that he is a murderer," he told ANI. "I felt very pained because I am a 33-year-old worker of the party. I filed a complaint regarding this through my lawyer and this continued for almost five years," he said.