Rahul Gandhi defamation case: Court defers hearing due to lawyers' strike

A special MP/MLA court on Thursday deferred to April 3 the hearing in a defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi due to an ongoing lawyers' strike. Advocate Kashi Prasad Shukla, representing the Rae Bareli MP, confirmed no legal action could be taken due to the strike.

"The hearing was supposed to take place today, but since the lawyers were on strike, no proceedings could be conducted. The court has now scheduled the next hearing for April 3," he said.

The last hearing in the case took place on March 6.


The defamation case dates back to 2018, when local BJP politician Vijay Mishra filed a complaint over alleged derogatory remarks made by Gandhi during the Karnataka elections.

After nearly five years of the legal proceedings, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi in December, 2023.

He subsequently surrendered in court in February 2024 and was granted bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.

Gandhi recorded his statement in court on July 26, pleading not guilty, and claiming the case was part of a political conspiracy against him.

Earlier this year, hearings were postponed multiple times due to lawyers' strikes and the ill health of Gandhi's counsel.

On February 11, Shukla completed the cross-examination of the complainant.