Calling Modi ‘commander-in-thief’: Mumbai court serves notice on Rahul Gandhi

ISLAMABAD: A Mumbai court has summoned Indian Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation complaint filed against him for his 'commander-in-thief' remark while attacking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

The metropolitan magistrate issued the summons on August 28 directing the Congress MP from Wayanad to appear, either in person or through his lawyer, on October 3.

The defamation complaint was filed by a person named Mahesh Shrishrimal in September last year. In a veiled attack, Gandhi had called the prime minister 'commander-in-thief' last year. 'To, Rahul Rajiv Gandhi, your attendance is necessary to a charge under section 500 of the Indian Penal Code. You are hereby directed to appear in person (or by a pleader) before the court on October 3, 2019,’ the summons said.

Section 500 of the IPC deals with cases of defamation and entails punishment with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both. Shrishrimal claimed in his plea that Gandhi’s statements had hurt the sentiments of prime minister’s supporters.

Gandhi not only defamed Modi, but also members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he claimed. The complaint relates to Gandhi’s tweet on September 24, 2018, in the middle of a period which saw acrimonious exchanges between the BJP and the Congress over the Rafale fighter jet deal. While the Congress alleged corruption in the deal, the BJP denied all such charges.