Rahul Gandhi to appear in Bengaluru court over defamation case

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to appear before a special court in Bengaluru on Friday in connection with a defamation case filed by the Karnataka BJP.

The case pertains to allegedly defamatory advertisements published in mainstream newspapers before last year’s assembly elections, accusing the BJP government of large-scale corruption during its 2019-2023 tenure.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee announced on Thursday, "Congress national leader Rahul Gandhi will attend the City Civil Court at 10.30 am tomorrow (Friday)."

Following his court appearance, Gandhi will meet with newly-elected Congress MPs and defeated candidates from Karnataka at Bharat Jodo Bhavan, along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar.

The court had previously granted bail to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar on June 1, with Judge K.N. Shivakumar setting June 7 for Gandhi’s personal appearance. Last week, Gandhi’s counsel sought an exemption from his appearance, which was opposed by the complainant's side, who argued against repeated exemptions.

The defamation case stems from a complaint filed by the BJP in June 2023, alleging that false and reckless allegations were made in advertisements issued on May 5, 2023. These advertisements, titled "Corruption rate card," accused the BJP government of being a "40 per cent Commission Sarkara (government)."

The complaint claims the advertisements were issued by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee under the direction of Shivakumar, in his role as president, and Siddaramaiah, then Leader of the Opposition. It also points out that Rahul Gandhi shared the "defamatory advertisement" on his social media account.