Bengaluru, June 7: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to make an appearance before a special court in Bengaluru on Friday regarding a defamation case filed against him by Karnataka BJP MLC Keshav Prasad.
According to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Rahul Gandhi will attend the proceedings at the Special MP/MLA court starting at 10:30 a.m. Both he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be in attendance. Shivakumar urged party members not to display party flags or chant slogans against the BJP while at the court.
The defamation lawsuit lodged by Prasad alleges that the Congress party disseminated propaganda through full-page advertisements, accusing the previous BJP government in the state of levying a 40 per cent commission for government projects. Prasad contends that during the Assembly elections, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar made baseless accusations to deceive the state's residents and should be held accountable under Section 500 of the IPC.
On June 1, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar appeared in court and were granted bail. Despite giving an assurance, Rahul Gandhi, also implicated in the case, did not attend, prompting the BJP leader's counsel to request a non-bailable arrest warrant against him.
Following the court proceedings, Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to engage in discussions with newly-elected Congress MPs from the state, as well as defeated candidates, at the Bharat Jodo Bhavan.