Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is being asked to personally appear in a defamation case brought by the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party against the publication of advertisements in local newspapers accusing the saffron party of corruption in advance of the 2023 Assembly elections. The case has been brought before a special magistrate's court for hearing cases involving elected representatives in Karnataka.
Rahul Gandhi must appear in court on June 7th, as directed by the special court that granted bail to state Congress president D K Shivakumar and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday. In the lawsuit, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), Shivakumar, and Siddaramaiah are the first three accused, while Rahul Gandhi is the fourth.
The Congress maintained that Rahul Gandhi was unconnected to the party's printing of advertisements, but the BJP Karnataka unit requested the issuance of a non-bailable warrant for Gandhi's non-appearance on June 1.
Rahul Gandhi's appearance was excluded by the court, but it mandated that he show up on June 7. "Accused No. 4's application is accepted, and his scheduled in-person appearance for today is waived. The court posted the case date and stated, "It is made clear that the accused No. 4 shall appear before this court on the next date of hearing without fail."
The BJP state general secretary S Keshava Prasad filed a private complaint with the court on May 8, 2023, alleging that Congress leaders, including Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah, and Rahul Gandhi, were disparaging the Karnataka BJP government from 2019 to 2023 as corrupt. This led to the filing of a defamation case. Prasad claimed in the complaint that the Congress had maligned the BJP by saying that the party leadership had set salaries for a number of state posts, such as the chief minister's post at Rs. 2,500 crore and the minister's post at Rs. 500 crore, which resulted in corruption in the state government.
“Prasad claimed that on May 5, 2023, the Congress also launched newspaper ads alleging fees of up to 75% in Covid kit contract agreements, 40% in PWD tender transactions, 30% in subsidies to religious organizations, and other similar deals. "An insult to the BJP party during the elections," he called the accusations.”
On March 11, 2024, the leaders of the Congress received a summons from the special court. Rahul Gandhi first requested a date in June from the court through an advocate, stating that he would not be able to appear in person because of the Lok Sabha elections.
The defense attorney for Accused No. 4 stated that due to his travel obligations from Delhi, the accused cannot appear in court before the impending elections. and asked God to postpone the case until Accused No. 4 appears in June. Time is allowed for Accused No. 4's attendance by June 1, 2024, taking into account the attendant circumstances, the court stated on March 28 of this year.
In response to the matter, Shivakumar stated on Saturday that the BJP was pressuring the Congress party to file a lawsuit against Congress leaders in order to reveal the corruption that occurred during the saffron party's rule. "The complaint names Siddaramaiah, Rahul Gandhi, and me. Rahul Gandhi will visit the court shortly, and we respect the law," Shivakumar declared.
“The BJP in Karnataka is the most corrupt party in the entire country. They are literally asking to be exposed by filing a complaint against Congress advertisements. We will show what we are capable of,” he added.
“The BJP has filed a complaint about certain advertisements issued by the Congress party. Our advertisements on the scams of the previous BJP government are purely based on the newspaper reports and the statements issued by some of the BJP leaders in Karnataka. Now that they have moved court, we will prove these allegations,” he said.
According to Shivakumar, BJP leaders in Karnataka claimed that the chief minister's position costs Rs 2,500 crore, while a minister's seat costs Rs 100 crore. Former Union minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Patil Yatnal asserted that no one could become a minister in the party without paying money.
“They have added Rahul Gandhi’s name to gain publicity. He could not come today as he was busy with an INDIA alliance meeting. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and I have appeared in court. The BJP is doing politics in this, we know politics too,” he said.
