The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's petition to quash proceedings against him in a trial court regarding a criminal complaint.

Justice Ambuj Nath of the high court dismissed Mr. Gandhi's plea on Wednesday, but the order was uploaded on the high court website on Friday. Naveen Jha, a BJP worker, filed the case against Gandhi in 2019 for his alleged defamatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The senior Congress leader had challenged the decision of a magisterial court in Ranchi, which had directed him to personally appear before the court for trial. Subsequently, Mr. Gandhi sought relief from the high court, which granted a stay order on any further actions in the lower court against him. The high court also issued notices to complainant Jha to appear in the case.

During one of his public speeches in Chaibasa before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Gandhi referred to Mr. Shah as a "murderer.". After recording the statements of the complainant and witnesses, Magistrate Anamika Kisku had found merit in the case against Mr. Gandhi and directed him to appear before the trial court on February 4, 2023.

Later, the High Court, while issuing a stay on the notice issued by the magistrate, ordered that "no coercive steps" be taken against Mr. Gandhi.