In the defamation case filed against Rahul Gandhi, the MP-MLA Court in Bhopal had issued summons directing his personal appearance.
Published: June 24, 2026, 6:42 AM IST
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Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi (Image: Congress)
New Delhi: In a significant development, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday held an important hearing on a petition related to a defamation case involving Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. The Bhopal MP-MLA Court submitted its response before the High Court. Following this, the High Court scheduled a hearing on Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking interim relief for Wednesday.
It is important to note that the hearing will determine whether Rahul Gandhi will be exempted from appearing before the trial court or whether he will be required to attend the proceedings in person.
Here are some of the key details:
- In the defamation case filed against Rahul Gandhi, the MP-MLA Court in Bhopal had issued summons directing his personal appearance.
- Rahul Gandhi, subsequently, approached the High Court seeking exemption from personal appearance.
- After Tuesday’s hearing, the single bench of Justice Pramod Kumar Agrawal directed that the matter be heard on Wednesday.
- Kartikeya Singh Chouhan, son of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, had filed a defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi in the Bhopal MP-MLA Court.
- The complaint alleged that during an election rally in Jhabua in 2018, Rahul Gandhi had purportedly referred to the applicant while mentioning the Panama Papers leak case.
Court asked for the records
The MP-MLA Court, while hearing the case, issued summons directing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear in person. Challenging both the defamation proceedings and the summons issued by the trial court, Rahul Gandhi approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court. During the hearing, the High Court directed the petitioner to produce the records of the subordinate court.
After taking Kartikeya Singh Chouhan’s name, Rahul Gandhi had issued a clarification in the matter. He stated that he had intended to refer to the son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, but mistakenly mentioned Kartikeya Chouhan’s name instead.
Will stand with you in working for Tamil Nadu’s progress: Rahul Gandhi greets Vijay on birthday
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi greeted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on his birthday and said he stands with the TVK chief in defending the rights, dignity, and aspirations of the Tamil people, as well as in working together for the state’s progress.
Vijay, who assumed charge as chief minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, turned 52 on Monday. In a post on X, Gandhi said, “Wishing the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru Joseph Vijay, a very happy birthday. I wish you good health and success in all your efforts.”
“I stand with you in defending the rights, dignity, and aspirations of the Tamil people, and in working together for the state’s progress,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
The Congress joined hands with actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK after the assembly polls this year and is part of the Tamil Nadu government.
