Rahul Gandhi, a prominent figure in the Congress party, chose not to attend a summons from the special judicial magistrate MP MLA court in Ranchi. The summons related to his alleged disparaging comments made during a 2018 event directed towards the former BJP President, Amit Shah.

The court had initially instructed Gandhi to appear on June 11 for a defamation case filed by BJP worker Navin Jha in 2018. Gandhi, however, did not attend the summons. Consequently, the court has now rescheduled the hearing for July 6. Navin Jha's case alleges that Gandhi made derogatory comments against the former BJP national president, Amit Shah, insinuating that the BJP is capable of appointing a "murderer" as its national president.

Navin Jha's legal representative, Vinod Shahu, disclosed to India Today that a service certificate crucial for the court proceedings was unavailable. Consequently, the MP MLA court postponed the hearing, directing Rahul Gandhi to attend on or before July 6. Shahu emphasized that failure to comply with the summons could prompt the court to issue new directives.

In a parallel defamation case filed in Chaibasa regarding the identical remarks, Gandhi is currently out on bail. The Jharkhand High Court intervened by suspending the lower court's proceedings, thereby preventing any coercive measures against Gandhi.