Bengaluru court grants bail to Rahul Gandhi in defamation case
New Delhi, June 7
A special court in Bengaluru on Friday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with a case filed by the BJP’s Karnataka unit for publishing advertisements labelling BJP as corrupt in mainstream newspapers ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly poll.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar were among other accused in the case, who were granted bail on June 1.
On May 8 last year, Karnataka BJP general secretary S Keshava Prasad filed a private complaint before the court alleging that Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and Rahul Gandhi called the BJP government’s administration from 2019 to 2023 in the state as corrupt.
Prasad alleged the Congress, through advertisements, defamed the BJP by claiming that the BJP leaders, including former CM Basavaraj Bommai, had taken commission to the tune of 75 per cent in Covid kit tender deals, 40 per cent for PWD tenders and 30 per cent for grants to religious organisations.
Meanwhile, Rahul also held a review meeting with the winning Congress MPs and the party’s Lok Sabha candidates. He sought a report on the performance of the party in the state. Shivakumar said, “He (Gandhi) has tasked three leaders — Siddaramaih, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala and me — to submit the report.”
“He has asked the MPs to be with people and go to Delhi only when the Parliament is in the session. We expected five to six more seats,” Shivakumar added.
The bypoll will be held for Channapatna, Sandur and Shiggaon constituencies as sitting MLAs from the segments — HD Kumaraswamy (JD(S), E Tukaram (Congress) and Basavaraj Bommai (Shiggaon) — were elected as MPs.
