Sultanpur

A court in Sultanpur on Thursday adjourned the hearing in a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi until March 23 after the complainant sought verification of audio and video evidence submitted in the case.

Advocate Santosh Kumar Pandey, representing Vijay Mishra, said the matter was being heard in the MP/MLA court.

Pandey said the complainant filed an application requesting the court to match the audio and video evidence with Gandhi’s voice.

Judge Shubham Verma accepted the request and fixed March 23 as the next date of hearing, he added.

On February 20, Gandhi, the MP from Raebareli, had appeared before the court and recorded his statement, alleging that the case had been filed against him due to political vendetta.

He also told the court that the audio and video evidence submitted by the complainant was incorrect and said he would present his own evidence.

The case pertains to alleged objectionable remarks made by Gandhi in 2018 against then Amit Shah, who was the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, during an election campaign in Karnataka.

Following the remarks, Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj under the Kotwali Dehat police station area in Sultanpur, filed a defamation complaint against the Congress leader.

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In December 2023, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi after he failed to appear before it. He later surrendered in February 2024 and was granted bail on two surety bonds of ₹25,000 each.