The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted relief to Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi by staying the trial against him in a defamation case linked to his alleged remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the controversy surrounding the 2018 Rafale fighter jet deal.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Apresh Kumar Singh issued notice on Gandhi’s petition and directed the respondents to file their replies within four weeks. The court’s order puts the ongoing trial before the lower court on hold for the time being.

The case relates to Gandhi’s alleged remarks against Prime Minister Modi in 2018, during the political debate over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal. Gandhi had allegedly used expressions such as "commander-in-thief" and "chief of thieves" while targeting the Prime Minister over the controversy.

Following the Supreme Court’s order, proceedings in the defamation case before the lower court will remain stayed until further directions. The top court has scheduled the next hearing in the matter after four weeks.

On September 8, the Bombay High Court declined to quash the summons issued to Rahul Gandhi in 2019 in connection with the defamation case. It dismissed his petition challenging an August 28, 2019, order by a Girgaum magistrate directing the issuance of process against him based on a complaint filed by Shrishrimal.

However, the High Court continued its 2021 order directing the magistrate to defer proceedings on the complaint for six weeks, allowing Gandhi time to approach the Supreme Court.

Shrishrimal had opposed Gandhi’s plea before the High Court, arguing that, as a BJP member, he too was aggrieved by the remarks allegedly made against his party’s leader.

The complaint alleged that Gandhi defamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public speech in Rajasthan on September 20, 2018. It further claimed that his remarks amounted to allegations against BJP members and Indian citizens associated with the prime minister.