Congress leader and Lok Sabha's Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was granted bail on July 15 by a Lucknow MP-MLA court in a 2022 defamation case concerning his alleged comments about Indian Army personnel made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
"Rahul Gandhi appeared before the MP-MLA court in Lucknow today. We moved a bail application, which was accepted by the court on the condition of submitting two sureties of Rs 20,000 each," Mohd Yasir Abbasi, a counsel for Rahul Gandhi, told news agency ANI.
Asked about Gandhi's absence in previous hearings, the lawyer said they had submitted a proper justification before the court, citing Rahul Gandhi's responsibilities as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.
"The court accepted our explanation, which is why no warrant was issued against him at any stage and he appeared before the court on the issuance of summons," he added.
The defamation case pertains to remarks allegedly made by Rahul Gandhi during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The complaint against Gandhi was filed by lawyer Vivek Tiwari on behalf of Uday Shankar Srivastava, a former director of the Border Roads Organisation with a rank equivalent to an Army Colonel.
Tiwari alleged that Gandhi’s remarks on December 16, 2022 regarding the clashes between the Indian and Chinese armies were derogatory and defamatory towards the Indian military forces.
Gandhi had said that "Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh", a criticism likely directed at the government over Chinese actions at the Line of Actual Control.
The complainant alleged that these remarks insulted Indian Army soldiers. The complainant argued that the comment was defamatory and had the potential to lower the morale of armed forces personnel.
Taking cognisance of the complaint, the court had summoned Gandhi as an accused in the case.
The matter has now been posted for next hearing on August 13.
With inputs from ANI
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