Rahul Gandhi Granted Bail in Defamation Case Related to Army Comments

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party and the opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, has been granted bail by a Lucknow court in a defamation case linked to remarks he made about the Indian Army during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra. According to reports, the MP-MLA court, presided over by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Alok Verma, provided relief upon the submission of two sureties of ₹20,000 each. This defamation case pertains to alleged derogatory comments made by Gandhi against Indian soldiers during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Following the court's summons, Gandhi appeared before the special magistrate court for MPs and MLAs in Lucknow.

The controversy began on December 16, 2022, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra when Gandhi referenced the clashes in the Galwan Valley, stating that Chinese soldiers were beating Indian soldiers and that no one was questioning this situation. He further emphasized that Chinese troops were attacking Indian forces. However, just days prior, on December 12, the Indian Army had issued an official statement clarifying that Chinese soldiers attempted to intrude into Indian territory but were met with a strong and appropriate response. According to the statement, the Chinese army was compelled to retreat, and both sides sustained only minor injuries.

Following Gandhi's comments, Uday Shankar Srivastava, a former director of the Border Roads Organization (BRO), filed a defamation lawsuit against him in a Lucknow court. Gandhi sought relief from the Allahabad High Court, but his petition was dismissed. The complainant alleged that Gandhi's statements regarding the supposed beating of Indian soldiers by Chinese troops hurt his sentiments. Notably, Rahul Gandhi had not appeared in court for the last five hearings.