Allahabad High Court slams Rahul Gandhi, says freedom to speak, not to defame Army

India Today

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed Rahul Gandhi's plea to quash summons in a defamation case related to his 2022 comments about Indian soldiers during the Tawang clash.

Transcript

00:01Allahabad High Court has hit out at Rahul Gandhi.

00:05The court had said no freedom to defame the Indian Army.

00:11The Supreme Court had in fact gone on to say that this freedom to speak but not to defame.

00:17Don't defame the Indian Army.

00:19Gandhi had claimed China beating up the Indian Army.

00:23Last week the court had rejected Rahul Gandhi's relief.

00:27This plea which was put up before the court.

00:30Gandhi had in fact taken a jive at the Army during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yata.

00:37This has got to do with the Commons of the made in the year 2022.

00:43I'm going straight across to Nalini for more details on that story.

00:46Nalini, the court coming down heavily against Rahul Gandhi.

00:50Take us to the details of what has been said just now.

00:52Well, Sneha, this was a plea that was filed by Rahul Gandhi before the Allahabad High Court

00:58asking for the summons that were issued against him and the defamation case

01:01as well as the criminal proceedings to be quashed against him.

01:05This was after he had made some statements regarding the Tawang clash

01:08during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022

01:11where he had allegedly said that the Indian soldiers and the Indian Army

01:15was getting thrashed by the Chinese soldiers in Tawang

01:18after which there were several media reports regarding the statement

01:23that had also come into light

01:24and there was a defamation case that was filed against Rahul Gandhi

01:27for allegedly hurting the sentiments of several veterans of the Indian Army

01:31as well as Indian Army soldiers

01:33and on that there was a summons that was issued to him by the trial court.

01:37He'd approached the Allahabad High Court trying to get some relief

01:39and asking for the summons to be quashed

01:41but the Allahabad High Court has clearly said

01:44that freedom of expression does not allow to defame the Indian Army

01:48and for that reason they've dismissed Rahul Gandhi's plea

01:52and they've said that the summons will not be quashed.

01:55Rahul Gandhi will have to appear before the trial court

01:57and the trial in the case will go on

01:59once Rahul Gandhi's appearance actually happens.

02:02So there's no relief coming in for him.

02:04The Allahabad High Court making it very clear

02:06that no kind of defamatory statements or insult to the Indian Army

02:10or the soldiers will be accepted by the court

02:12and Rahul Gandhi will have to face the repercussions

02:15of the statements that are made by him

02:17more importantly so because he's a member of parliament

02:19he's a public figure

02:20which is why he should make these statements more responsibly.

02:24Along with that the High Court has also said

02:25that Rahul Gandhi made these statements to the media

02:28so he was very well aware of the fact

02:31that these statements will be publicised in media reports

02:33regarding his statements will be published the next day

02:37and he should have been more responsible

02:38and more aware of the kind of statements he was making

02:41which is why the summons will not be quashed.

02:43Rahul Gandhi will now have to appear

02:44before the trial court and allow for the proceedings to go on.

02:47Alright I'm going to leave with that for the moment.

02:49These were comments that were made in the year 2022

02:52but the court today is saying freedom to speak

02:54but not to defame saying that there are forces

02:57our forces were getting beaten up by the Chinese

03:00and a comment to that effect was made

03:03by the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha.

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