National: The Supreme Court has temporarily stayed criminal defamation proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a case filed by BJP worker Navin Jha. The case pertains to remarks Gandhi allegedly made against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a public rally in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi reportedly referred to Amit Shah as a “murderer” in his speech.
A two-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard Gandhi’s special leave petition (SLP), challenging the Jharkhand High Court’s refusal to quash the defamation charges.
Navin Jha filed the defamation complaint in response to Gandhi’s remarks. Although the case was initially dismissed by a Ranchi magistrate, Jha successfully filed a revision petition. On September 15, 2018, the Judicial Commissioner in Ranchi overturned the magistrate’s dismissal and directed a reassessment of evidence. This resulted in a summons being issued against Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to criminal defamation.
Gandhi’s subsequent appeal to the Jharkhand High Court was rejected by Justice Ambuj Nath, who ruled that the remarks were “prima facie defamatory” under Section 499 of the IPC. The High Court observed that the statements targeted BJP leaders and touched on Amit Shah’s past legal controversies.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Gandhi, argued that under defamation law, only the person directly aggrieved can initiate a complaint, not a third party like Jha. Singhvi contended that the case lacked legal standing.
Acknowledging the legal points raised, the Supreme Court stayed the defamation proceedings and granted a four-week period for responses from Navin Jha and the Jharkhand government.
The Court’s stay offers temporary relief to Gandhi, pending further examination of the legal merits of the case.
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