Rahul to appear before court on Feb 20; Yatra to be paused: Jairam Ramesh

Congress General Secretary in charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh on Monday said that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will be paused on Tuesday morning as Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi has been issued a summon to appear before the District Civil Court in Sultanpur in connection with a defamation case.

In a social media post on X, Congress General Secretary informed that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra which has entered its 37th day today, will be paused on Tuesday morning and will resume from Fursatganj in Amethi at 2 pm.

"Rahul Gandhi has been issued a summons to appear in the District Civil Court in Sultanpur tomorrow, February 20th, morning in connection with a defamation case filed by a BJP leader on August 4th, 2018. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will, therefore, pause tomorrow morning and will resume the February 20th program at 2 pm from Fursatganj in Amethi," the Congress leader posted on X.

Notably, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been summoned by MP/MLA court on February 20 in connection with a 2018 case over using derogatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a Bengaluru conference.

The complaint was filed by the then BJP District Vice President, Vijay Mishra.

"I was the vice president of BJP when this incident happened. Rahul Gandhi had accused Amit Shah in Bengaluru that he is a murderer. When I heard these allegations, I felt very pained because I am a 33-year-old worker of the party. I filed a complaint regarding this through my lawyer and this continued for almost 5 years," Vijay Mishra told ANI earlier.

Santosh Kumar Pandey, a lawyer who appeared for Vijay Mishra said that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi can be given a maximum punishment of 2 years if sufficient evidence is found against him.

"Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a press conference in Bengaluru. About 5 years ago, Amit Shah who is currently the Home Minister, objectionable remarks were made against him. On August 4, 2018, this case was filed in the District and Sessions Court of MP-MLA Court Sultanpur. On which, Judge Yogesh Kumar Yadav of MP MLA Court Sultanpur has summoned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. This statement came from Rahul Gandhi during the Karnataka elections in Bengaluru in 2018," Santosh Kumar Pandey told ANI.