New Delhi, 4 December (H.S.): The Supreme Court has extended its relief to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case concerning his alleged remarks against the Indian Army during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. A bench headed by Justice M.M. Sundresh has stayed the trial court proceedings until April 22, 2026.

The Supreme Court had initially imposed a stay on August 4, following a hearing where Justice Dipankar Datta criticized Rahul Gandhi’s comment that China had occupied 2,000 square kilometers of Indian territory. The judge questioned the credibility of the statement, emphasizing that a true Indian would not make such claims without reliable evidence, especially amidst a border dispute.

The court held that Rahul Gandhi, as a responsible citizen, should not have made such statements.Following the stay, the court had issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and complainant Uday Shankar Srivastava, seeking their response.

Srivastava, a former director of the Border Roads Organisation, had filed the contempt case against Rahul Gandhi.The allegations against Rahul Gandhi stem from comments he made on December 9, 2022, regarding a clash between Indian and Chinese forces, wherein he allegedly derogatorily claimed that the Chinese army was “beating” Indian soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh while the Indian press would refrain from questioning these events.Rahul Gandhi has challenged the summons issued by the lower court.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar