Rahul Gandhi will today appear before a court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh on Friday in a defamation case that was filed against him for allegedly making objectionable remarks about BJP senior leader and Union home minister Amit Shah.

The case was filed in 2018, when BJP leader Vijay Mishra accused Rahul Gandhi of derogatory comments during a press conference in Bengaluru, in which the Congress MP referred to Amit Shah as an “accused” in a case of murder.

Rahul Gandhi the LoP in the Lok Sabha, will arrive at Lucknow airport and then drive to Sultanpur for the court appearance. He was earlier given bail in this case on February 20 when he interrupted his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ to attend the court hearing.

Special magistrate Shubham Verma has summoned Rahul Gandhi to record his statement, warning of strict action if he fails to comply, as he has missed about a dozen consecutive hearings. In the previous hearing, Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, explained to the court that his absence on July 2 was owing to his duties as a parliamentarian and as the LoP.