Jharkhand HC extends stay on notice against Rahul Gandhi by Ranchi court

Ranchi: The High Court of Jharkhand on Friday extended the stay on a notice by a local judicial magistrate to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for personal appearance in a case filed against him for allegedly maligning BJP leader Amit Shah.

Gandhi has moved the high court praying for setting aside the criminal proceedings initiated against him by the magisterial court in Ranchi.

Justice Ambuj Nath, while hearing the petition, directed that no coercive steps be taken against Gandhi till further orders of the court in this regard.

The high court on February 3 first put a stay on the notice for appearance of Rahul Gandhi before the court of the magistrate in Ranchi the next day.

He was ordered to appear before the magistrate in a complaint case filed against him by Navin Jha, a BJP member in Ranchi.

Jha in his petition has alleged that Gandhi had maligned BJP leader Amit Shah in a speech he made in Chaibasa before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Jha had filed the complaint on April 24, last year before the court of Ranchi Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate which was dismissed.

Thereafter, Jha filed a revision petition before the court of the Ranchi Judicial Commissioner which was allowed and the matter was remanded back to the court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate.