Karnataka High Court stays proceedings against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in defamation case filed by BJP  

The BJP had alleged in its complaint, filed in June 2023, that ‘false, baseless, and reckless’ allegations were made under the title ‘Corruption rate card’ in the advertisements issued by the accused persons on May 5, 2023, in all the mainstream newspapers in Karnataka during campaigning for the elections.

The High Court of Karnataka stayed the proceedings against Rahul Gandhi, a Congress MP and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, in a defamation case lodged by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s State unit for issuing ‘defamatory’ advertisements in mainstream newspapers during the campaign for the elections to the State Legislative Assembly during May 2023.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the interim order on January 17 on a petition filed by Mr. Gandhi, who has questioned the legality of the defamation case, in which he has been arraigned as accused number 4.

The contentious advertisement had accused the BJP government of large-scale corruption during its 2019-23 rule in the State.

In June 2023, Mr. Gandhi appeared personally before the Special Court of Magistrate for criminal cases against former and present MPs and MLAs from Karnataka on the court’s direction as he had failed to respond to multiple summons.

In December 2024, the special court had given him permanent exemption from personal appearance during the trial of the defamation case by imposing conditions.

The special court imposed conditions that Mr. Gandhi should give an undertaking that he would not dispute his identity as an accused, his advocates should be present and be representing him on all dates of proceedings, and to undertake that he has no objection for taking evidence in his absence.

The special court made it clear that he should appear whenever court directs him. The exemption was granted considering his role and responsibility as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and as a senior leader of the Congress party.