Rahul Gandhi granted bail in defamation case filed by BJP

The Bengaluru court has granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed against him by the BJP Karnataka unit. 

The case centers around advertisements published prior to last year's assembly elections, which accused the BJP government in Karnataka of widespread corruption during its 2019-2023 term.

In June 2023, the BJP lodged a complaint alleging that these ads, published on May 5, 2023, in major Karnataka newspapers, contained false and reckless claims. 

The ads, titled "Corruption Rate Card," labeled the BJP's Basavaraj Bommai government as a "40 percent Commission Sarkara (government)."

The complaint specified that the ads were issued by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, led by its president, Shivakumar, and Siddaramaiah, the then Leader of the Opposition. 

Additionally, Rahul Gandhi shared the "defamatory advertisement" on his social media account.

Earlier this month, the court granted bail to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar after they appeared in connection with the case. 

Judge K. N. Shivakumar scheduled Rahul Gandhi's personal appearance for June 7. 

During the hearing, Gandhi's counsel requested an exemption from appearing, a request that the complainant's side opposed, arguing against repeated exemptions.

In a separate case, an MP-MLA court in Prayagraj postponed the hearing of a 2018 defamation case against Rahul Gandhi. 

The case pertains to his remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah, made during a press conference in Bengaluru in May 2018. 

Due to the unfortunate demise of a lawyer, the hearing has been rescheduled to June 18.

The case filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra alleges that Gandhi's comments implicated Amit Shah in a murder case. 

A special CBI court had previously discharged Shah in 2014 from a 2005 fake encounter case.