- Supreme Court Justice Dipankar Datta criticised Rahul Gandhi's border remarks in court
- The court paused the defamation case and issued notice to the complainant Uday Srivastava
- Opposition leaders called the judge's remarks extraordinary and unwarranted on political rights
Leaders of the INDIA opposition bloc have flagged a Supreme Court judge's remarks against Rahul Gandhi, describing them as "an extraordinary observation" and "unwarranted". The floor leaders of parties in the opposition bloc met this morning and discussed Justice Dipankar Datta's remarks on Mr Gandhi's statements on the India-China border face-off.
The bench of Justice Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih was hearing a criminal defamation case against the Congress leader for his remarks during the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.
"How do you get to know when 2000 sq km was acquired by China? What is the credible material? A true indian will not say this. When there is a conflict across the border, can you say all this?" Justice Datta asked Mr Gandhi's counsel and Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi. The judge also said Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution does not permit anyone to say just anything.
The court paused further proceedings in the trial court and issued a notice to the complainant, former Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director Uday Shankar Srivastava, against Mr Gandhi's petition to quash the case.
"Today during the morning meeting of the INDIA floor leaders, the remarks of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court on the Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi was discussed. All the leaders of the India parties agreed that the sitting judge has made an extraordinary observation which is unwarranted on the democratic rights of political parties," INDIA leaders said in a statement.
"It is the responsibility of political parties especially the Leader of Opposition to comment on issues of national interest. When a government fails so spectacularly to defend our borders, it is every citizen's moral duty to hold it accountable," the statement added.
Earlier, the Allahabad High Court had denied relief to Mr Gandhi. The complainant has said Mr Gandhi made the alleged remarks on December 16, 2022, during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. The complaint said the remark was an attempt to demoralise the Army.
Top BJP voices welcomed the Supreme Court's rebuke of the Congress leader. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "I express my gratitude to the Supreme Court because people sitting in high positions are spreading rumours and speaking against the interest of the country; this should stop. We have seen the way Rahul Gandhi kept saying, without any evidence, that China has grabbed India's land." He said Mr Gandhi's remarks affected the morale of soldiers and that he "continuously speaks the same language as Pakistan and China".
Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, "I don't think there's anybody in this country who will disagree with what the Supreme Court has said. Rahul Gandhi has for many years been practising a politics that is based on lying. He lies through his teeth, and he hopes that the lies will somehow mislead people, will provoke people," he said.
