New Delhi, February 21 – Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and a senior Congress MP, appeared in a court in Bhiwandi on Saturday in connection with a defamation case filed against him in 2014.
His appearance was part of the procedural requirements following the death of his previous guarantor, Shivraj Patil.
According to his counsel, LoP Gandhi is required to sign a fresh bond and provide a new guarantor before the court. Advocate Narayan Iyer, who is representing Rahul Gandhi in the matter, explained earlier on Friday that since Shivraj Patil, who had stood as his guarantor, had passed away, the court had directed that a new guarantor be produced.
The Congress MP is expected to complete the formalities, including signing the bond afresh, during the proceedings.
The defamation case, dating back to 2014, is currently at the evidence stage. Advocate Iyer stated that the complainant, identified as Rajesh, who is the key witness in the case, has already been cross-examined. He added that the second witness, Ashok Saikar, who had investigated the private complaint at the time, has also been examined. However, his cross-examination under Section 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code remains pending.
Iyer clarified that Saturday’s proceedings are likely to focus mainly on the acceptance of the new guarantor and the completion of bond formalities, with no cross-examination expected to take place during the day’s hearing.
Meanwhile, earlier on Friday, LoP Gandhi appeared before the MP/MLA court in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur in connection with a defamation case related to his alleged remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
LoP Gandhi maintained that the case had been filed against him out of "political malice". He travelled to Sultanpur by road from Lucknow airport and left after completing the required formalities.
His statement was recorded in court. The total proceedings lasted around 20 minutes. The court has fixed March 9 as the next date of hearing.
