The Supreme Court of India on Monday issued a strong rebuke to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding his claim that China had annexed 2,000 square kilometers of Indian territory. The court stated that such a remark was unbecoming of a 'true Indian.' However, it did grant interim relief by staying the defamation proceedings against Gandhi related to the statement.
The comments in question were made by Gandhi during his 2023 'Bharat Jodo Yatra.' At the time, he claimed that a retired Army officer had informed him that China had occupied 2,000 square kilometers of Indian land.
A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih was hearing Gandhi's plea to challenge the defamation case. During the hearing, the court questioned the basis of his claim, asking, "How did you know about 2,000 km being annexed by the Chinese?" The bench emphasised, "If you're a true Indian, you wouldn't say it." The judges further reprimanded Gandhi, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, by asking, "You being Leader of the Opposition, why would you say these things? Why will you not ask these questions in Parliament?"
Gandhi had approached the Supreme Court after the Allahabad High Court, on May 29, dismissed his plea. He had challenged both the summoning order and the criminal complaint against him, arguing that the case was politically motivated and filed with malicious intent.
The complaint was filed by Udai Shanker Srivastava, a former Director of the Border Roads Organisation. Srivastava alleged that during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in December 2022, Gandhi made several derogatory and defamatory remarks about the Indian Army in the context of the border standoff with China.
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