Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court Tuesday quashed a criminal defamation petition filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, for allegedly carrying out propaganda against the party.
The case pertains to a “corruption rate card” advertisement targeting the previous BJP government during the Assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi had filed a petition seeking to quash the charges against him. The court observed that allowing the proceedings to continue would amount to an abuse of the process of law.
A bench headed by Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav passed the order and stated that the proceedings, insofar as petitioner Rahul Gandhi is concerned, are set aside.
The complaint was filed by BJP leader Keshav Prasad. The complainant accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Rahul Gandhi of publishing false advertisements against the then BJP-led government headed by Basavaraj Bommai.
The petition alleged that the accused had released full-page advertisements in the media as part of a campaign accusing the then BJP government of taking a 40 per cent commission. Rahul Gandhi had shared it on his social media X.
The advertisement, which appeared on May 5, 2023, in all mainstream newspapers, made fanciful, baseless, foundationless and irrational allegations against the BJP, the complaint said.
Challenging the proceedings, it was submitted that there is no prima facie evidence to prove charges against Rahul Gandhi, and the petitioner has failed to produce any documentary evidence to prove that Rahul Gandhi had circulated the advertisement on his social media handle, except for the bare pleading in the complaint that Rahul Gandhi had given instructions to issue the advertisements.
Rahul Gandhi had appeared before the Special MP/MLA court in Bengaluru in connection with the case. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar had also appeared before the court and secured bail.
Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar had termed the case “false” and stated, “It is a false case filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party against me, Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.”
It can be noted that the Congress made the “40 per cent commission” allegation a major campaign issue against the then-ruling BJP. Initially, the allegations were raised in speeches. The party later launched social media campaigns and put up posters across the state.