Sultanpur(UP) | Proceedings in a defamation case involving Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, scheduled to take place Thursday, were deferred after the Congress leader's lawyer fell sick.

Special Judge Shubham Verma scheduled the next hearing for February 11.

"The delay came after Rahul Gandhi's lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, submitted a medical certificate stating that he was unwell and unable to attend the court proceedings. In response, Judge Verma set the new date for the hearing," Santosh Kumar Pandey, the advocate of Vijay Mishra, who has filed the case against Gandhi, said.

Mishra, a BJP leader from Hanumanganj, filed his petition in 2018 accusing Gandhi of making "derogatory" remarks during the Karnataka elections. Mishra claimed the remarks were offensive and caused him personal harm.

After Gandhi failed to appear in court, a warrant was issued against him in December 2023.

He surrendered in the court in February 2024, and recorded his statement on July 26. He was granted bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.

The former Congress president has consistently maintained that the case is part of a political conspiracy against him.