Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, is scheduled to appear before a special court in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, today. His itinerary included attending the funeral of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren in Ranchi on Tuesday. Following this, he stayed at a local hotel in preparation for his court appearance. The court proceedings are set to commence around noon.
To reach Chaibasa, Gandhi will travel from Ranchi by helicopter, with the landing site being the Tata College grounds. Security has been significantly heightened at the court, with thorough inspections of everyone entering the premises. The legal matter at hand dates back to 2018. During a Congress event on March 28, 2018, Gandhi made comments that were deemed objectionable towards Amit Shah, then the BJP’s national president and now the Union Home Minister. A defamation case was subsequently filed by BJP leader Pratap Kumar in the Chaibasa CJM court in July 2018.
Due to his non-appearance, the Chaibasa court issued a non-bailable warrant against Gandhi on May 24, 2024, necessitating his physical presence on June 26. Gandhi contested this warrant in the Jharkhand High Court, which directed him to appear in the Chaibasa court on August 6. The upcoming court decision on his bail application is highly anticipated.