Overview

• A single-judge bench of Justice Anil Kumar Choudhary on October 9 set aside the Chaibasa MP-MLA court’s order taking cognisance and issuing summons and sent the case back for fresh consideration.
• The High Court called the process legally flawed, finding that the Chief Judicial Magistrate appeared to rely on directions from the Sessions Court rather than exercising independent judgment.
• The case arises from Rahul Gandhi’s 2018 comments about then BJP president Amit Shah, following which BJP worker Pratap Katiyar filed a criminal defamation complaint in Chaibasa.
• Lower-court steps included a bailable warrant in April 2022, non-bailable warrants in February 2024 and on May 22, 2025, and Gandhi’s August 6, 2025 appearance when he was granted conditional bail.
• Gandhi’s counsel Dipankar Rai argued that the cognisance proceedings were illegal and procedurally defective, and the High Court agreed with those submissions.