On 2 June, Gandhi had moved the Jharkhand HC challenging an earlier order by the special court in Chaibasa, which had directed him to appear on 26 June.
RANCHI — Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was granted bail by the Special MP-MLA Court in Chaibasa in connection with a defamation case registered against him for an alleged objectionable remark against Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2018.
The bail was granted after Gandhi complied with the Jharkhand High Court’s directive to appear personally before the court, TNIE reported.
Gandhi appeared before Judge Supriya Rani Tigga, who granted him bail on the condition that he will cooperate fully with the trial proceedings. Advocates Pradeep Chandra and Dipankar Roy represented Gandhi during the hearing.
Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, local advocate Keshav Prasad and advocate Vinod Sahu of Jharkhand High Court opposed the bail petition, apprehending that Rahul Gandhi has appeared this time but will not cooperate in future during the hearings.
“Taking a note of our apprehension, the court took an undertaking from Rahul Gandhi that he will appear personally as and when required by the court,” said Advocate Vinod Kumar Sahu.
Meanwhile, the court also framed charges in the case against Rahul Gandhi, he added.
The petitioner’s counsel also urged the court to impose a cost on Rahul Gandhi for avoiding court summons and wasting the court’s time, which was turned down, saying that the stage has not yet come.
Rahul Gandhi had reportedly made sharp remarks against the BJP, allegedly calling its leaders “murderers” and “liars” in his speech.
On March 18, 2018, at the AICC Plenary Session in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi reportedly said, “The people of this country will never accept a lying Bhartiya Janata Party leadership drunk with power because they know what the Bhartiya Janata Party is designed for.”
Further, he went on to say, “They will accept a man accused of murder as the President of Bhartiya Janata Party, but the people will never accept the same in the Congress Party.”
Hurt by the statement, BJP worker Pratap Kumar filed a complaint in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Chaibasa on July 9, 2018. The court took cognizance in the matter in February 2022 and issued a summons against Rahul Gandhi, which was received by his office.
Rahul Gandhi failed to appear before the court, following which a bailable warrant was issued. After his continued absence, a non-bailable warrant was also issued against him.
Rahul Gandhi finally complied with the court’s directive on Wednesday, arriving in Chaibasa from Ranchi by helicopter. A temporary helipad was set up at Tata College Ground for his arrival amid tight security arrangements.
BJP leader Pratap Katiyar, along with several party members, was also present at the court.
Accompanying Gandhi to Chaibasa were several Congress leaders including Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari, Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh, MLA Anup Singh, and former minister Bandhu Tirkey, who travelled by road.
The court will now proceed with the trial, and Rahul Gandhi is expected to participate in the legal process as required.
