After Rahul Gandhi's remarks about purported Chinese incursions into Indian territory drew harsh criticism from the Supreme Court, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi defended her brother.
As she arrived at Parliament on Tuesday, Priyanka Gandhi responded directly to the court's remark that 'a true Indian will not say all this,' stating, "With due respect to the honourable judges, they do not decide who a true Indian is." She emphasised that it is the responsibility of the Leader of the Opposition to question the government. "My brother would never speak against the Army, he holds them in the highest respect. It is a misinterpretation," she added.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc also backed Rahul Gandhi, with Congress social media head Supriya Shrinate calling the Supreme Court's observation 'unwarranted.' In a post on X, she wrote, "When a government fails so spectacularly to defend our borders, it is every citizen’s moral duty to hold it accountable."
The Supreme Court's strong observations came on Monday while it was hearing a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi. The case was filed by Uday Shankar Srivastava, a retired director of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), who alleged that Gandhi's comments made during the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in December 2022 were defamatory to the Indian Army.
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During the hearing, a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih questioned Gandhi’s claims that China had 'captured 2,000 sq km of Indian territory,' 'killed 20 Indian soldiers,' and 'thrashed our jawans in Arunachal Pradesh.' The court asked, "How did you get to know that 2,000 square kilometres has been captured? Were you there?" The bench further remarked that such statements, if made at all, should be made in Parliament, not through the media or social media.
Rahul Gandhi's lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, argued that his client, as a public servant, retains his fundamental right to freedom of speech. He contended that the remarks were intended to prompt the media to ask necessary questions about national security.
The court stayed the criminal proceedings against Gandhi in the trial court, which was a significant interim relief even though it did not dismiss the case. The bench agreed to look into a number of legal points brought up by his attorney, such as the claim that Gandhi was not given a hearing before the summons was sent and the protest that Srivastava, the complainant, could not be regarded as a 'aggrieved' person for allegedly defaming the army.
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