Sultanpur (UP), May 11 (PTI) A special MP/MLA court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur on Monday granted a final opportunity to the complainant’s counsel to file a revision petition against an earlier order in the defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The court fixed May 21 as the next date of hearing in the matter.
Gandhi’s counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla said arguments in the case were scheduled to take place on Monday but the complainant’s lawyer sought an adjournment, informing the court that he intended to challenge an earlier order through a revision petition.
The counsel for local BJP politician Vijay Mishra, Santosh Kumar Pandey, said he wanted to pursue the matter regarding the verification of evidence.
Pandey said he had earlier sought a match of Gandhi’s voice sample with the voice contained in a CD submitted in connection with the case. However, the application was rejected by the court.
He said a revision petition would be filed before a higher court after receiving a certified copy of the order and sought time from the court on this ground.
Earlier on May 2, the Sultanpur court had rejected an application moved by the complainant’s counsel under Section 311 of the CrPC and fixed May 11 for final arguments in the case.
The defamation complaint was filed in October 2018 by Mishra over Gandhi’s alleged objectionable remarks targeting Amit Shah while campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections.
Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, surrendered before the court on February 20, 2024, following which Special Magistrate Shubham Verma granted him bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.
On July 26, 2024, Gandhi appeared before the MP/MLA court and recorded his statement, maintaining that he was innocent and claiming that the case was part of a political conspiracy.
Following his statement, the court directed the complainant’s side to present evidence, after which witnesses were examined in the case.
Earlier, while recording Gandhi’s statement under Section 313 of the CrPC, the court asked him to present evidence or clarification in support of his defence. However, his counsel did not submit any additional evidence before the court. PTI COR KIS KSS KSS
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