Chaibasa Court Issues Non-Bailable Warrant Against Rahul Gandhi

Ranchi: The MP-MLA Special Court in Chaibasa has issued a non-bailable warrant against Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, directing him to appear before the court on June 26.

Rahul Gandhi's legal team had filed a petition under Section 205 of the CrPC seeking exemption from personal appearance. However, the court dismissed the application and mandated his presence.

The case dates back to 2018, when Rahul Gandhi allegedly called BJP leaders "murderers" and "liars" during a speech at the All India Congress Committee plenary session held on March 28. BJP leader Pratap Kumar subsequently filed a defamation case against him in the Chaibasa CJM Court on July 9, 2018.

After initial hearings and recording of witness statements, the Jharkhand High Court transferred the case to the MP-MLA Special Court in Ranchi on February 20, 2020. It was later reassigned to the Chaibasa MP-MLA Special Court, which took cognizance of the matter and issued summons to Rahul Gandhi. However, he failed to appear.

Initially, the court issued a bailable warrant, but due to repeated absences, it escalated the matter. Rahul Gandhi challenged the warrant in the High Court, but his petition was dismissed on March 20, 2024. He then filed another application under Section 205 in the Chaibasa court, which was again rejected.

He challenged this second rejection in the High Court but later withdrew his petition on March 10, 2025, stating he would instead pursue a criminal miscellaneous petition. Consequently, the Jharkhand High Court lifted its interim stay order dated April 25, 2024.

In light of these developments, the Chaibasa court on May 22, 2025, issued a fresh non-bailable warrant and ordered Rahul Gandhi to appear in person on June 26.