Rahul Gandhi's Defamation Case Witness Cross-Examination Continues

Ongoing Legal Proceedings Against Rahul Gandhi

In Sultanpur, the court proceedings concerning the defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and MP from Raebareli, progressed on Tuesday with the completion of cross-examination of one witness. The next witness will be cross-examined on October 9, as informed by Gandhi's attorney.

Advocate Kashi Prasad Shukla, representing the Raebareli MP, stated that the witness, Anil Mishra, a resident of Pitamberpur Kala in the Kotwali Dehat area, was unable to complete his testimony during the previous session on September 9, which was successfully concluded today.

Shukla further mentioned that the cross-examination of the second witness, Ramchandra Dubey, is scheduled for October 9. The defamation suit was filed against Rahul Gandhi in 2018 by Vijay Mishra, a BJP leader from Hanumanganj in the Kotwali Dehat area.

Mishra alleged that during the Karnataka Assembly elections in 2018, Gandhi made an inappropriate remark that caused him distress. The case has been under trial for five years, but Gandhi had not appeared in court until recently.

In December 2023, a warrant was issued against him by the then presiding judge, compelling his appearance. Subsequently, in February 2024, Rahul Gandhi surrendered to the court, where a special magistrate granted him bail on two bonds of ₹25,000 each. Following this, he was summoned to record his statement.

After several hearings, Rahul Gandhi appeared in court on July 26 to give his statement, asserting his innocence and claiming that a political conspiracy was at play against him. The court then instructed the plaintiff to present evidence.

On April 28, the plaintiff's attorney, Santosh Kumar Pandey, presented Anil Mishra as a witness, who was cross-examined by Gandhi's lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla.