The Supreme Court will hear Rahul Gandhi’s challenges in the ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ defamation case and disproportionate assets complaint on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the SIR issue may be mentioned.
Photo : PTI
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear two matters involving Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (October 13), including his plea challenging the Bombay High Court’s refusal to quash a defamation case over his 2018 “Chowkidar Chor Hai” remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, the second case is related to Gandhi’s appeal against an Allahabad High Court order directing the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to verify a disproportionate assets complaint against him.
The defamation matter stems from the Congress MP’s remarks during the political controversy in 2018 over the Rafale fighter jet deal. A BJP functionary, Mahesh Shrishrimal, had filed a complaint alleging that the statements made at a rally in Rajasthan hurt the sentiments of party supporters.
Gandhi had challenged the summons issued by the magistrate in 2019, seeking to have the defamation proceedings quashed. However, the Bombay High Court rejected his plea, observing that there was no apparent illegality or error in the magistrate’s order.
Following Gandhi’s request, the High Court stayed the operation of its order for six weeks, allowing him time to approach the Supreme Court.
In May 2019, Gandhi tendered an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court in connection with the “Chowkidar Chor Hai” slogan. However, his apology was not for using the political slogan itself, but for wrongly attributing the phrase to the Supreme Court.
The second matter concerns Gandhi’s challenge to the Allahabad High Court’s direction to the CBI and ED to verify allegations of disproportionate assets made in a complaint against him.