Madhya Pradesh High Court Closes Defamation Case Against Rahul Gandhi After Clarification and Expression of Regret
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has brought an end to a long-running criminal defamation case against Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi after he acknowledged an error in a 2018 election speech and expressed regret over the remark.
The case was filed by Kartikeya Singh Chouhan, son of Union Minister and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, following comments made by Gandhi during an election rally in Jhabua on October 29, 2018.
During the speech, Gandhi allegedly linked Kartikeya Singh Chouhan’s name to the Panama Papers controversy, sparking a political controversy in the state. The remarks prompted Kartikeya to file a criminal defamation complaint under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code before a special MP/MLA court in Bhopal.
Years later, after the trial court took cognisance of the complaint and summoned Gandhi, the Congress leader approached the High Court seeking relief.
During the proceedings, Gandhi submitted a statement clarifying that the reference to Kartikeya Singh Chouhan was made in error. He informed the court that he had publicly corrected the statement the very next day, explaining that he had intended to refer to the son of the then Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh and not Kartikeya Singh Chouhan or Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Gandhi further stated that he stood by his earlier clarification and expressed regret over the mistaken reference.
The clarification proved crucial in resolving the matter. In a written submission before the High Court, Kartikeya Singh Chouhan indicated that, in light of Gandhi’s clarification and expression of regret, he did not wish to pursue the dispute any further.
Taking note of the position adopted by both parties, Justice Pramod Kumar Agrawal accepted the submissions and ordered the closure of the proceedings before the High Court. The court also directed that the criminal defamation case pending before the special MP-MLA court in Bhopal be closed.
The ruling brings an end to a legal and political dispute that began during the heated 2018 election campaign and continued for several years before finally being resolved through clarification, regret and mutual closure.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
