Mumbai, Sept. 8 -- The Bombay High Court on Tuesday rejected the plea filed by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, challenging a criminal defamation complaint over his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Upholding the lower court's decision, a single bench of Justice N R Borkar stated that it found no "perversity and illegality" in the order issued by the magistrate. Consequently, the criminal defamation proceedings against the Congress leader will move forward in the Girgaon Metropolitan Magistrate Court, requiring his personal appearance.

The legal matter stems from 2019, when the Girgaon Metropolitan Magistrate issued summons to Gandhi after concluding that a prima facie case of criminal defamation ...