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The Jharkhand High Court has rejected a plea by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking the dismissal of criminal proceedings against him in a defamation case. The case, filed by BJP worker Naveen Jha in 2018, pertains to Gandhi's alleged defamatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Justice Ambuj Nath dismissed Gandhi's plea earlier this week, with the order becoming public on Friday when uploaded to the high court's website.
Gandhi had challenged the legality of an order that set aside a lower court's ruling from July 2018, which had dismissed Jha's petition against him. Justice Nath found no illegality in the order.
Rahul Gandhi's lawyer, Kaushik Sarkhel, mentioned that they are yet to decide the next steps in their legal strategy.
Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership was restored in August last year after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in another criminal defamation case filed in Gujarat. He had appealed the Gujarat High Court's decision, which upheld his conviction and two-year jail term.