New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed further proceedings in a defamation case before a trial court in Maharashtra against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Aparesh Kumar Singh issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the complainant, M H Shrishrimal, seeking their responses in four weeks.

"Issue notice returnable in four weeks. Further proceedings before the trial court shall remain stayed," the bench ordered on a plea filed by Gandhi against a September 8 order of the Bombay High Court refusing to quash summons to him.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Raebareli MP, referred to earlier decisions of the top court and said the law is settled in the matter.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks.

On September 8, the Bombay High Court refused to quash the summons issued to Gandhi in 2019 in the defamation case.

It had dismissed Gandhi's petition against a Girgaum magistrate's order dated August 28, 2019, for a process against him on Shrishrimal's complaint.

The high court, however, continued its 2021 order directing the magistrate to defer the hearing on the complaint for six weeks so that Gandhi could approach the Supreme Court.

Shrishrimal had opposed Gandhi's plea in the high court, claiming that being a member of the BJP, he too was aggrieved by the remarks made against his leader.

The complaint had alleged that Gandhi defamed PM Modi in a public speech on September 20, 2018, in Rajasthan.

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It claimed that Gandhi's statements amounted to direct allegations against all members of the BJP and Indian citizens connected to PM Modi.