Sultanpur (Uttar Pradesh): The MP-MLA court in Sultanpur on Thursday once again deferred the hearing in a defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi till September 21 as the plaintiff Vijay Mishra's lawyer Santosh Pandey had cases pending in many courts due to which he requested a further date.
Earlier on September 5 and August 23 also, the court had deferred the matter on plaintiff’s request. Before that, on August 12, the matter could not be heard as the special judge of the court was on leave.
During the Karnataka elections in 2018, Gandhi allegedly made objectionable remarks against senior BJP leader Amit Shah. In August 2018, Mishra, a local BJP leader and former cooperative chairman, filed a complaint in the court leading to the defamation case. Gandhi surrendered in the court on February 20 during the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'. He got bail on two personal bonds of Rs 25,000 each, after which he was called to record his statement by issuing notices several times by the court.
During the Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi could not reach the court citing poll engagements. Subsequently, the court ordered him in a strict tone to appear. On July 26, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha came to the Sultanpur court and recorded his statement. In this case, the hearing was to be held on August 12 based on evidence, but the hearing could not be held as the judge of the MP-MLA court was on leave.
(With inputs from agencies)
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