Rahul Gandhi to appear in B'luru court today in defamation case

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will appear before a special court here on Friday in connection with a defamation case filed by the Karnataka BJP for issuing allegedly defamatory advertisements in mainstream newspapers.

The advertisement ahead of the assembly polls last year had accused the then BJP government in the state of indulging in largescale corruption during its 2019-2023 rule.

"Congress national leader Rahul Gandhi will attend the City Civil Court at 10.30 am tomorrow (Friday)," the state Congress said on Thursday.

Later, he will hold a discussion with the Congress's newly-elected MPs from the state as well as the defeated candidates at Bharat Jodo Bhavan on Queens Road at 11.30 am, the party's state unit said, adding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President D K Shivakumar will also be present.

The court had on June 1 granted bail to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar after they appeared before it in connection with the case. Judge K N Shivakumar had passed the order while setting June 7 as the date for Rahul Gandhi's personal appearance.

During the hearing last week, the counsel for Gandhi moved an application seeking exemption from appearance for his client, which was opposed by the complainant's side, arguing that repeated exemptions should not be permitted.

The BJP had in its complaint filed in June 2023 alleged that false and reckless allegations were made in the advertisements issued by the accused persons on May 5, 2023 in all the mainstream newspapers in Karnataka during campaigning for assembly polls, under the title "Corruption rate card" and making accusations of "40 per cent Commission Sarkara (government)".

 It was alleged in the complaint that the advertisements were issued by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (state Congress) through Shivakumar, in his capacity as its president and by Siddaramaiah, as the then Leader of the Opposition in the legislative assembly.

Rahul Gandhi had put up a post of this "defamatory advertisement" on his account on social media platform X, the BJP pointed out.