National/ Politics Desk
5 December
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
Journalist & Research Analysist
The Supreme Court on Thursday extended the interim stay on the proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi till 22 April next year. The case is related to his alleged “disrespectful remarks” against the Indian Army during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022.
A bench of Justice M. M. Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma accepted Gandhi’s appeal. The judges said they would hear the matter in detail before giving a final decision.
Rahul Gandhi had challenged the Allahabad High Court’s order of 29 May, which had refused to stop a lower court from issuing summons to him in this case. On 4 August, the Supreme Court had paused all further proceedings in the Lucknow court until the next hearing date.
During the earlier hearing, the bench questioned Gandhi’s comments. The court asked how he claimed that “2,000 square km of Indian land was taken over by China” without any proof. The judges said that public figures should avoid making statements without evidence.
The Supreme Court has already sought responses from the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant. The case will now continue after their replies are examined, with the next major hearing set for April 2025.