Defamation case filed against Rahul Gandhi in Bihar court for his statements abroad
Sudhir Kumar Ojha, who filed the criminal complaint, contended that Gandhi had justified terrorism by suggesting that increasing unemployment in India was behind the growth in terrorism.
Published: 25th August 2018 04:18 PM | Last Updated: 25th August 2018 10:10 PM | A+A A-
Congress President Rahul Gandhi (File | PTI)
PATNA: A defamation case was filed against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in a court in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur on Saturday by local a lawyer who claimed Gandhi’s recent statements abroad had tarnished the country’s image.
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Sudhir Kumar Ojha, who filed the criminal complaint in the court of the chief judicial magistrate, contended that Gandhi had justified terrorism by suggesting that increasing unemployment in India was behind the growth in terrorism.
Citing the statements the Gandhi scion made during his visit to Germany and the UK, Ojha said his statements holding Indian culture responsible for violence against women “tarnished and lowered the image of India” internationally.
“He (Gandhi) deliberately made such statements with an intention to create tension in the country,” said the complaint that was filed under various IPC Sections including 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 500 (defamation) and 504 (insult with intent to provoke breach of peace). A conviction these charges attracts a minimum of two to three years of imprisonment with a fine or both.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Hari Prasad fixed the matter for a hearing on September 4.
Incidentally, Ojha had filed a petition in the same court on August 20 against Punjab minister and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu for hugging Pakistani General Qamar Jawed Bajwa during the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on August 18. The case is due for hearing on August 29.
