Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has submitted an application before the Madhya Pradesh High Court expressing regret over remarks that form the basis of a defamation case filed by Kartikeya Singh, son of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The case originates from statements allegedly made by Gandhi during a 2018 election rally in Jhabua, where he referenced the Panama Papers leak while mentioning Kartikeya Singh’s name. The complainant has claimed that the remarks harmed his reputation.
Kartikeya Singh subsequently filed a complaint before a special MP–MLA court in Bhopal, alleging defamation. The trial court took cognisance of the matter and issued summons requiring Rahul Gandhi to appear personally.
In response, Gandhi moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking quashing of both the summons and the ongoing proceedings. In an application filed through his counsel on Wednesday, he stated that the remarks were not intended to refer to Kartikeya Singh and expressed regret over the statement, as per court submissions.
The matter was heard by Justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal, with the next hearing scheduled for Thursday. Records from the lower court were also placed before the High Court as directed. Counsel representing the complainant appeared during the proceedings.
The development triggered a political reaction from BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, who criticised Rahul Gandhi in a post on X, alleging a pattern of making controversial statements followed by subsequent apologies or retractions.
