Sultanpur,

28 April (HS): On Monday, a special MP/MLA Court heard cross-examination of a

witness in a defamation case filed by a BJP politician against Lok Sabha

politician Rahul Gandhi. Santosh Kumar Pandey, the attorney for BJP leader

Vijay Mishra, brought witness Anil Mishra, a resident of Pitambarpur Kala under

the Kotwali Dehat police station, to the court.

Kashi Prasad Shukla, Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer, performed the

cross-examination, which was unable to be finished.

Special

Judge Shubham Verma has set the next hearing date on May 17. Vijay Mishra, a

local BJP politician, brought a defamation action against Gandhi in 2018 for

claimed unpleasant statements he made against BJP leader Amit Shah during the

Karnataka assembly elections.

After

five years of judicial processes, the judge issued a warrant for Gandhi in

December 2023. The Rae Bareli MP surrendered before the court in February 2024

and was granted bail with two sureties of Rs 25,000 apiece by the special judge.

On July 26, last year, he taped his testimony in court, claiming innocence and

labeling the matter a political scheme. Earlier this year, many sessions were

postponed owing to a lawyer strike and Gandhi’s counsel’s illness. On

February 11, Gandhi’s lawyer Shukla finished cross-examining the complainant.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi