Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared in a court in Jharkhand on Wednesday in a defamation case related to his alleged controversial remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Police increased security in Chaibasa, headquarters of West Singhbhum district, as Gandhi reached the MP-MLA court in the morning.
#WATCH | Chaibasa, Jharkhand: On Rahul Gandhi to appear in Chaibasa Court in the Defamation case, State Minister Dipika Pandey Singh says, "There are several cases registered against Rahul Gandhi. He always says the truth, and that is why he is made to stand in the courtroom..." pic.twitter.com/LwwQH99JVC
— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2025
Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, had already arrived in Ranchi to attend the funeral of veteran tribal leader and former chief minister Shibu Soren in Nemra. He, however, could not attend the funeral as the helicopter could not take off due to inclement weather conditions.
The MP is expected to return to Ranchi after the court proceedings.
The case is based on a complaint filed by one Pratap Kumar, who alleged that the statements made by Gandhi against Shah at a rally in Chaibasa in 2018 were defamatory. Kumar said the Congress leader made the statements purposefully to malign the stature of Shah.
The special court directed the Congress leader to appear before it on June 26. He, however, approached the Jharkhand High Court and requested it to grant a date on August 6.
The high court accepted his request.
On Monday, the Supreme Court stayed the trial court proceedings in another defamation case against Gandhi over his alleged derogatory remarks about the Indian Army during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The top court, however, expressed strong disapproval of Gandhi’s remarks and even said: “If you were a true Indian, you would not say all this.”
