Karnataka High Court quashes proceedings of criminal defamation petition against Rahul Gandhi

Controversy related to ‘corruption rate card’ advertisement published during assembly elections Karnataka The High Court has given big relief to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (Rahul Gandhi Karnataka High Court). The court dismissed the criminal defamation petition filed against him, saying that continuing further hearing in the case would have been an abuse of the legal process.

A single bench of Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav made it clear in the order that based on the available facts, there is no justification for pursuing criminal proceedings. The court quashed the pending proceedings against Rahul Gandhi.

This case was registered on the basis of the complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (Rahul Gandhi Karnataka High Court). The complaint alleged that through a full-page advertisement published in leading newspapers on May 5, 2023, allegations like charging the BJP government “40 per cent commission” were made, which were allegedly false and defamatory. The advertisement was also shared on the internet media platform X, which was mentioned in the complaint.

The complaint was filed by BJP leader Keshav Prasad, naming Rahul Gandhi as well as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar as parties. The allegation was that this advertisement was published with the aim of damaging the image of the government led by former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

In the petition filed by Rahul Gandhi in Karnataka High Court, it was said that the complainant failed to establish whether the advertisement was released on his instructions or he himself aired it. The defense argued that prima facie there was no evidence available that could establish individual criminal responsibility.

This decision of the court is being considered important in matters related to election rhetoric and political advertisements. According to legal experts, this judgment emphasizes that direct and concrete evidence is necessary in criminal defamation cases, otherwise unnecessarily prolonging the judicial process cannot be justified.

After this decision, another legal chapter in Karnataka politics has ended, although the possibility of continuation of political rhetoric cannot be ruled out.