The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling political party in India, has filed a criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress leaders DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, in relation to the Congress party's "corruption rate card" advertisements that appeared in local and national newspapers prior to the Karnataka Assembly elections.
The case was initiated after the Election Commission (EC) issued a notice to the Congress party, asking them to provide proof for the allegations made in the advertisements. Earlier, the BJP had issued a legal notice to the trio of Congress leaders, urging them to retract the advertisements and issue an unreserved apology. However, as the ads were not withdrawn, the BJP resorted to filing a criminal defamation case against them.
The advertisements published by the Congress party in newspapers such as The Times of India, Indian Express, and The Hindu, alleged that the BJP-led Karnataka government had looted over Rs 1,50,000 crore from the public in the last four years, branding it a "40% commission sarkar" (government). The BJP took offense to these claims and filed a complaint with the EC, stating that the advertisements were defamatory and intended to mislead voters.
The Election Commission's notice to Congress leader DK Shivakumar came after the BJP's complaint. Shivakumar was given a deadline to submit empirical evidence to support the allegations made in the advertisement. The case is scheduled for a hearing on May 18.
Defamation cases in Indian politics are not uncommon, as political parties often resort to legal action to protect their reputation and challenge allegations made by their opponents. Defamation laws in India aim to safeguard the reputation of individuals and organizations from false and damaging statements. In this case, the BJP filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders to address what they perceive as defamatory allegations made in the advertisements.
