Supreme Court on Wednesday declared that “everyone is equal” before the court, directing the complainant in a criminal defamation case against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to follow established procedural channels if seeking an expedited hearing.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana made the observation after senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia, representing complainant Uday Shankar Srivastava, argued that the registry was according “VVIP treatment” to the Congress leader by failing to list the matter as scheduled.
Bhatia requested the court to de-tag Srivastava’s case from unrelated petitions involving The Wire, alleging that the delay unfairly benefited the accused, who previously obtained a stay on criminal proceedings.
Responding directly to the submissions, the bench instructed counsel to file a formal application for early hearing and case de-tagging rather than seeking oral overrides. “He is not a VVIP… Everyone is equal before us. Please file an application for early hearing. We will take it up,” the CJI observed.
The underlying legal dispute stems from comments made by Rahul Gandhi during his 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra regarding military clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh. Srivastava, a former Border Roads Organisation director, alleged the remarks defamed the Indian Armed Forces. Gandhi’s petition counters that the multiple cases lodged against him represent “lawfare” intended to silence legitimate political opposition.
