Madhya Pradesh High Court Closes Defamation Case Against Rahul Gandhi After He Expresses Regret
The Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur on Thursday closed criminal defamation proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a case filed by Kartikeya Singh Chouhan, son of Union Minister and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The case stemmed from a campaign speech delivered by Gandhi in Jhabua on October 29, 2018, where he allegedly linked Kartikeya's name to the Panama Papers controversy. The remark sparked a political debate in the state. Kartikeya subsequently filed a criminal defamation complaint under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which was taken up by a special MP/MLA court in Bhopal. The trial court summoned Gandhi, prompting him to approach the High Court under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
During the High Court proceedings, Gandhi submitted a statement clarifying that his reference to Kartikeya Singh Chouhan was erroneous. He stated that the following day, October 30, 2018, he had publicly clarified that he intended to refer to the son of the then Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh in connection with the Panama Papers, not Kartikeya or his father, who was then the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Gandhi reiterated this clarification and expressed regret for the mistake.
In response, Kartikeya's legal team filed a written reply stating that, in light of Gandhi's clarification and regret, the complainant did not wish to pursue the matter further. They requested the court to close proceedings after formally recording Gandhi's statement.
Justice Pramod Kumar Agrawal accepted the submissions from both sides. The court recorded Gandhi's regret, noted the complainant's reply, and ordered the closure of proceedings before both the High Court and the trial court in Bhopal.
The order concludes a long-running political defamation battle in Madhya Pradesh, which began as an election-stage remark and ended with a clarification, expression of regret, and mutual closure.
