The Supreme Court on Thursday extended till December 4 its interim order staying proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a case related to his alleged derogatory remarks against the Indian Army during his 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra.
A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma deferred the hearing, noting a letter circulated for adjournment. The top court was hearing Gandhi’s plea challenging a May 29 Allahabad High Court order dismissing his challenge to the trial court’s summoning order in the case.
Earlier, during the hearing, the bench questioned Gandhi about his alleged remarks, asking whether he had credible material to support his statements on Indian territory being “occupied by Chinese.” The court had then issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant seeking their responses.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Gandhi, argued that prior hearing of the accused was mandatory under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and that Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, should be able to raise issues without facing undue criminal proceedings. Gandhi’s counsel further contended that the allegations appeared fabricated and that the trial court should have verified the veracity of the complaint before summoning him, noting that Gandhi is not a resident of Lucknow. (Agencies)
