New Delhi: An MP-MLA special magistrate court in Lucknow has on Tuesday (July 15) granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection to the alleged 'defamatory' statements he made against the Indian Army during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, reported LiveLaw.

Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, personally appeared before additional chief judicial magistrate Alok Verma and surrendered to seek bail. He had been absent during the last five hearings in the case, according to the report.

Gandhi was represented by advocate Pranshu Agrawal, Mohd Yasir Abbasi and Mohammed Samar Ansari who argued before the court that Gandhi was innocent and that no offence had been made out against him.

Meanwhile, the counsel for the complainant argued that the Congress leader hurt the dignity and respect of the Indian Army and attempted to bring its morale down, and thus, should not be granted bail.

However, the court granted the Congress leader bail on the condition of furnishing his personal bond in the sum of Rs. 20,000 with two sureties of the like amount. The next date of hearing is August 13.

Gandhi had earlier approached the Allahabad high court in May, challenging the defamation case as well as the summoning order passed in February 2025 by an MP-MLA court in Lucknow. 

The Allahabad HC had dismissed his plea stating that freedom of speech and expression is subject to reasonable restrictions and “it does not include the freedom to make statements which are defamatory to any person or defamatory to the Indian Army”.

A bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi had noted, "No doubt, Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech and expression, this freedom is subject to the reasonable restrictions and it does not include the freedom to make statements which are defamatory to any person or defamatory to the Indian Army".

The complaint was filed by former Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director Uday Shankar Srivastava, who alleged that during his Bharat Jodo Yatra,  on December 16, 2022, Gandhi repetitively said in a very derogatory manner that the Indian media did not ask questions about the Chinese army is 'thrashing' Indian soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh.

There have been numerous complaints and petitions filed against Gandhi by political opponents across the country. The Supreme Court had, in January, also stayed criminal defamation proceedings against the Congress leader after he was booked for calling Union home minister Amit Shah a murder accused.

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