Supreme Court stays trial against Rahul Gandhi for "commander-in-thief" remark about PM Narendra Modi

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the trial against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case against him before a Maharashtra court over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Aparesh Kumar Singh sought the response of the State within four weeks.

"Issue notice. Returnable in 4 weeks. Stay on trial," the Court said in its order.

The case arose from Gandhi’s 2018 remarks where he used terms like "commander-in-thief" and "Choron Ke Sardar" regarding the Rafale fighter jet deal.

The defamation case was filed by BJP member Mahesh Shrishrimal before the Girgaon Magistrate Court.

The allegation by complainant was that in September 2018, Gandhi had conducted a rally in Rajasthan and made defamatory statements against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Due to the defamatory statement, Modi was allegedly trolled on media by various news channels and social media platforms, it was contended.

In August 2019, the magistrate summoned Gandhi to court.

The order summoning Gandhi was challenged by Gandhi before High Court after he received the summons in July 2021.

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