Sultanpur (Uttar Pradesh): Proceedings in the specialized tribunal regarding the 2018 defamation lawsuit against Rahul Gandhi have been adjourned to April 22, owing to the absence of the presiding judge.

The suit, instigated in 2018 by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vijay Mishra, addresses alleged inflammatory remarks made by Gandhi about Home Minister Amit Shah.

Mishra’s legal counsel, Santosh Pandey, requested the court to issue a non-bailable arrest warrant for Gandhi. However, with the judge absent, the hearing could not transpire, thus the case was deferred to April 22.

The original grievance, lodged on August 4, 2018, concerns Gandhi’s purportedly contentious statements about Shah during a press conference in Bengaluru in May, coinciding with the Karnataka elections.

The complainant cited Gandhi’s assertion that the BJP espouses integrity and transparency but has a party chief who stands “accused” in a murder case. At the time of Gandhi’s statement, Shah held the position of BJP president.

Four years prior to Gandhi’s comment, a special CBI court in Mumbai cleared Shah of charges in a 2005 staged encounter case, during his tenure as minister of state for home affairs in Gujarat.

In December of the past year, the court issued a summons for Rahul Gandhi. Consequently, Gandhi paused his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi on February 20, made his appearance in the court, and was subsequently released on bail.