National Desk
18 January
Sandeep Dhand
Journalist
Nutritionist And Health Educator
The Karnataka High Court has issued an interim order staying the trial in a criminal defamation case filed by the state BJP against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The case relates to the Congress’s “Corruption Rate Card” advertisement targeting the BJP ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections.
Senior advocate Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing Rahul Gandhi, informed Justice M Nagaprasanna that the petition was being heard for the first time. After reviewing the case, the court issued an emergency notice to the respondent, asking for a reply by February 20. The court also stayed further proceedings in the trial court until the next hearing on February 20.
The defamation case stems from the Congress advertisement, which alleged large-scale corruption during the BJP’s tenure from 2019 to 2023. The ad claimed that BJP leaders demanded commissions for government appointments and transfers.
The BJP dismissed the allegations as baseless and misleading, filing the defamation suit to counter the accusations. The Congress, however, maintains that the claims were based on credible sources and reflect public sentiment during the BJP’s rule.
With the High Court’s interim order, the trial proceedings are on hold until the next court hearing.