The Supreme Court on Monday halted trial court proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed over his alleged remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The case was initiated in 2019 by BJP worker Naveen Jha, who accused Gandhi of calling Shah a “murderer” during a public speech in Chaibasa ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notices to the Jharkhand government and the complainant, seeking their responses to Gandhi’s appeal. The Congress leader has contested a Jharkhand High Court decision that dismissed his plea to quash the trial court proceedings related to the defamation case.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Rahul Gandhi, contended that the defamation complaint was invalid as it had been filed by a third party, which is not allowed under defamation laws. Singhvi argued that if the complainant is not the aggrieved party, then a complaint cannot be filed on their behalf.
The Supreme Court directed to issue notice to the state of Jharkhand and the complainant. It further said that All trial proceedings shall remain stayed until further orders.
Initially, a magistrate court in Ranchi had dismissed Naveen Jha’s defamation complaint. Undeterred, Jha filed a revision petition before the Judicial Commissioner in Ranchi.
On September 15, 2018, the Judicial Commissioner overturned the dismissal and directed the magistrate to reevaluate the evidence and issue a fresh order. Acting on these instructions, the magistrate court issued a new order on November 28, 2018, finding sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to defamation. Subsequently, a summons was issued for Rahul Gandhi to appear.
Gandhi challenged this order in the Jharkhand High Court. However, Justice Ambuj Nath upheld the magistrate’s decision, citing Gandhi’s remarks suggesting that BJP leaders were “liars intoxicated with power” and willing to accept a “murder accused” as their party president. The High Court observed that these statements were prima facie defamatory under Section 499 of the IPC, which includes imputations against groups or associations. It ruled that the statements damaged the reputation of BJP leaders and members, dismissing Gandhi’s plea.
With the Supreme Court’s stay, the trial proceedings against Gandhi are now temporarily halted, awaiting responses from the Jharkhand government and the complainant.