Rahul Gandhi seeks relief in defamation case involving Shivraj Singh Chouhan's son

Noida,UPDATED: Jun 25, 2026 10:32 IST

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has filed an application before the Madhya Pradesh High Court expressing regret over a statement that is the subject of a defamation case filed by Kartikeya Singh, son of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

The development comes in a case linked to remarks allegedly made by Gandhi during a 2018 election rally in Jhabua, where he had referred to the Panama Papers leak while mentioning Kartikeya Singh’s name. The complainant has alleged that the reference damaged his reputation.

Kartikeya Singh had approached a special MP–MLA court in Bhopal, alleging that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks were defamatory. Acting on the complaint, the trial court issued summons directing Gandhi to appear personally in the matter.

Following the summons, the Congress leader moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking quashing of both the summons and the defamation proceedings.

In his application filed through counsel on Wednesday, Gandhi stated that the remarks in question were not intended to refer to Kartikeya Singh. The plea also conveyed regret over the statement, according to court submissions.

The matter was placed before Justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal, who is scheduled to hear the petition on Thursday. The petitioner also produced records from the lower court as directed by the High Court. Advocate Sankalp Kochhar appeared on behalf of the complainant during the proceedings.

The development also triggered a sharp political response from BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, who took to X to criticise Rahul Gandhi over what he described as a pattern of making and later walking back controversial remarks.

In his post, Malviya said, “Rahul Gandhi should perhaps make ‘Sorry’ his middle name. One has lost count of the number of times he has had to apologise, express regret, or retract his defamatory and irresponsible statements.

The latest instance comes in the defamation case filed by Kartikeya Singh, son of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Rahul Gandhi has now approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court expressing regret, stating that the remarks in question were not even related to Kartikeya Singh.

This raises a simple question: if the statement was not about him, why was it made in the first place? And if it was made without facts, what does it say about Rahul Gandhi’s credibility?

Time and again, Rahul Gandhi makes sensational allegations, grabs headlines, and when challenged in court or confronted with facts, retreats behind apologies and expressions of regret. A Leader of Opposition is expected to exercise responsibility, not indulge in reckless accusations and then disown them later.

For Rahul Gandhi, defamation seems to have become a habit and apologies a recurring ritual. The country deserves better than a leader who speaks first and thinks later.”

- Ends

With PTI inputs