Bengaluru Court Grants Bail to Rahul Gandhi in a Defamation Case filed by the BJP Karnataka Unit

A Bengaluru court on Friday granted bail to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with a defamation case filed against him by the BJP Karnataka unit. The case relates to advertisements published before last year's assembly elections, which accused the BJP government in Karnataka of widespread corruption during its 2019-2023 term.

The complaint, filed by the BJP in June 2023, alleges that these ads, released on May 5, 2023, in major Karnataka newspapers, contained false and reckless claims. The ads called the BJP's government in Karnataka corrupt, saying they take a 40% commission. They were put out by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, led by Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah. Rahul Gandhi also shared the ad on his social media.

Previously, on June 1, the court granted bail to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar after they appeared in connection with the case. Judge K N Shivakumar scheduled June 7 for Rahul Gandhi's personal appearance. At the hearing, Gandhi's legal representative sought an exemption from his presence, a request contested by the complainant's side, who objected to the repeated exemptions.

In another legal matter, a court in Prayagraj postponed the hearing of a 2018 defamation case against Rahul Gandhi regarding his remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The delay, until June 18, resulted from the death of a lawyer involved in the case.​