The Bombay High Court has extended the interim relief granted to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, allowing him to refrain from appearing before the magistrate court in a defamation case filed against him for his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.

Justice NJ Jamadar, presiding over a single-judge bench, extended the interim relief when the advocate representing the complainant was unavailable. This extension allows Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to continue being excused from appearing before the magistrate court in the defamation case related to his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.

The High Court has further extended the interim relief provided to Gandhi until February 26, 2024. This extension allows Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to continue being exempted from appearing before the magistrate court in the defamation case related to his comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.

The complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stems from a statement he made during a speech in 2018. Gandhi is alleged to have referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "Commander in Thief" in connection to the Rafale Deal.

The current criminal proceedings were instigated in August 2019 by a metropolitan magistrate in response to a complaint filed by a BJP leader. The complaint contends that Gandhi's remark against Modi amounts to a direct accusation against BJP members and Indian citizens associated with the Prime Minister.

Following a complaint filed by a BJP supporter in November 2021, Rahul Gandhi received a process. In response, Gandhi sought relief by approaching the Bombay High Court to quash the summons. The high court directed the magistrate to postpone the hearing in the case until the challenge to the process before the high court was resolved. Consequently, the high court granted relief to Gandhi, allowing him to be exempt from appearing before the magistrate in the defamation case.