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Bengaluru Court Grants Bail to Rahul Gandhi in Defamation Case Filed by Karnataka BJP

On Friday, a special court in Bengaluru granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case initiated by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Karnataka unit. The case was filed against the publication of advertisements in local newspapers ahead of the Assembly elections last year, which labelled the BJP as corrupt. Rahul Gandhi appeared in court in response to a summons issued on June 1. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar, who were also accused in the case, were granted bail on June 1.

The BJP’s Karnataka unit had sought a non-bailable warrant against Gandhi on June 1 for his non-appearance, despite Congress leaders arguing that Gandhi was not directly involved in the publication of the advertisements. On that day, the court exempted Gandhi from appearing but mandated his presence on June 7. The case originated from a private complaint filed on May 8, 2023, by Karnataka BJP general secretary S. Keshava Prasad, who accused Congress leaders of defaming the BJP by claiming that the party’s administration from 2019 to 2023 was corrupt.

The complaint cited allegations made by Congress that the BJP leadership had fixed exorbitant prices for various government postings, including Rs 2,500 crore for the Chief Minister’s post and Rs 500 crore for a minister’s post, leading to widespread corruption. Additionally, Congress advertisements published on May 5, 2023, accused the BJP of demanding commissions in various deals, such as 75% in Covid kit tenders, 40% in Public Works Department tenders, and 30% in grants to religious organizations. Prasad contended that these allegations insulted the BJP during the election period.

The court had initially summoned the Congress leaders on March 11, 2024. Gandhi’s representative had informed the court of his inability to appear due to commitments related to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and requested a date in June. Shivakumar later remarked that the BJP had included Rahul Gandhi’s name in the case to gain publicity.

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Author:- Apoorva Arora

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