The defamation suit that has fanned political tensions in India was poised to go forward after the Bombay High Court upheld a summons against Rahul Gandhi on September 8, 2021, refusing to quash it. The order followed a petition by Maharashtra‑resident MH Shrishrimal, who claimed Gandhi’s 2018 Rajasthan speech insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his supporters.
Gandhi’s lawyer, Abhishek Singhvi, argued that the law had been settled by earlier Supreme Court rulings, and that the case should not proceed until the high court’s refusal was formally overturned.
The complaint alleges that Gandhi’s remarks on September 20, 2018, labeled all BJP members and anyone linked to Modi as defaulters, a claim the opposition says is a direct affront to the nation’s top office.
Now, the Supreme Court has issued notices to the Maharashtra government and Shrishrimal, giving them four weeks to file responses before the trial court can resume hearing.
If the notices are not answered, the court will lift the stay and proceed with the trial, a move that could set a precedent for how political defamation cases are handled in the country.