Rahul Gandhi Summoned By Court For Alleged Derogatory Remarks Against Indian Army

New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi , has been summoned by a special MP-MLA court in Lucknow in connection with a defamation case related to his alleged derogatory remarks against the Indian Army. Rahul Gandhi is required to appear before the court in the last week of March.  

The case was filed by Uday Shankar Srivastava, a former director of the Border Roads Organization (BRO), who lodged a complaint over comments made by Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in December 2022. 

The remarks in question referred to the Indian Army, with Gandhi stating, “Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh,” a dig at the government over Chinese activities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).  

Rahul Gandhi’s comment sparked a political uproar, drawing sharp criticism from several quarters. BJP leaders labeled him as anti-national and accused his family of having questionable ties with China, including allegations of receiving Chinese hospitality and funds through the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Despite the backlash, Gandhi continued to criticize the government’s handling of the China issue.  

This isn’t the first legal trouble for the Congress leader. In March 2023, Gandhi was found guilty in a defamation case over remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s surname. The Gujarat court sentenced him to two years in prison, a sentence that briefly led to his disqualification from Parliament. The Opposition claimed the ruling was politically motivated, describing it as a conspiracy against Gandhi.  

However, the Supreme Court later suspended his conviction, noting that the trial judge had imposed the maximum sentence of two years. The court highlighted that even a single day less would have prevented Gandhi’s disqualification from Parliament.