Rahul misses court hearing indefamation case

Lucknow: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi failed to appear before the special MP/MLA court in Lucknow on Tuesday in a defamation case filed against him over alleged derogatory remarks against Indian soldiers during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The court has now scheduled the hearing for May 17.The case is being heard by Special Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (MP/MLA) Alok Verma, who earlier directed Gandhi to be personally present in court for the hearing on April 29.Rahul Gandhi's legal representative, Advocate Pranshu Agrawal, submitted an application citing his client's prior commitments. According to the application, Gandhi was presiding over a meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) in Rae Bareli on the same day and was therefore unable to attend the court proceedings. The case was filed by Uday Shankar Srivastava, a retired Director of the Border Roads Organisation, holding the equivalent rank of Colonel in the Indian Army. Srivastava alleged that Rahul Gandhi made defamatory remarks against Indian soldiers during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Dec 2022. tnn