An MP-MLA court in UP’s Sultanpur on Wednesday reserved its order until May 2 in a defamation case against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, following arguments from both sides on a key procedural plea. The hearing centred on an application filed under Section 311 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which allows courts to summon or recall witnesses at any stage if their testimony is deemed necessary for a fair adjudication. Gandhi’s counsel, Kashi Prasad Shukla, said the court heard submissions on the plea moved by the complainant’s lawyer, Santosh Kumar Pandey, and subsequently fixed May 2 for the pronouncement of its order. The previous hearing in the matter was held on April 17. Voice sample plea opposed Earlier, during the March 28 hearing, the complainant sought the examination of Gandhi’s voice sample under Section 311 read with Section 91 of the CrPC. The application requested that Gandhi’s voice sample be matched with an audio CD already submitted to the court and examined at a forensic laboratory. Gandhi’s legal team opposed the demand. Case background The defamation case was filed in October 2018 by local BJP leader Vijay Mishra. Gandhi surrendered before the court on February 20, 2024, and was granted bail on two sureties of ₹25,000 each. He appeared before the court on July 26, 2024, where he recorded his statement, maintained his innocence and described the case as a political conspiracy. Following this, the court directed the complainant to present evidence, after which witnesses were examined. Defence stage Gandhi had earlier recorded his statement under Section 313 of the CrPC. The court subsequently asked him to present his defence and evidence; however, no such evidence has been submitted on his behalf, according to court records.
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