Ranchi: In a major relief for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed the ongoing proceedings against him in the MP-MLA court in a defamation case.
The MP-MLA court in Chaibasa district had issued a non-bailable warrant against Gandhi on February 27. To stop this, the Congress leader had filed a petition in the high court.
Gandhi has been facing the heat in a criminal prosecution filed by one Pratap Kumar of Chaibasa for having made defamatory comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a poll campaign in 2019.
Kumar in his petition filed before the court of the magistrate in Chaibasa said Gandhi’s remarks were defamatory and made purposely to malign the stature of Shah.
The case has been going on in the special MP/MLA court which had issued a bailable warrant against Gandhi in April 2022.
Gandhi, however, did not appear before the Chaibasa court, following which a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against him by the court on February 27.
The Congress leader then moved a petition before the Chaibasa court through his counsel seeking exemption from appearing.
The petition was disallowed by the court after which he moved the Jharkhand High Court.
The case will again be heard after a fortnight.
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