The Bombay High Court extended till July 28 the relief granted to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi from appearance in a local court in a defamation complaint over his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A single-judge bench of Justice PD Naik directed a magistrate's court in Mumbai to defer the hearing on the defamation plaint beyond July 28.

The complainant, Mahesh Shrishrimal who claims to be a BJP worker, had stated that Rahul Gandhi used a "commander-in-thief" remark against the Prime Minister in 2018 over the Rafale fighter jet deal. The local court had directed the former Congress president to appear before it on November 25 last year pertaining to the defamation complaint. Rahul Gandhi then approached the Bombay HC challenging the summons issued to him. The HC in last November directed the magistrate to defer the hearing on the defamation complaint, which meant the Congress leader would not be required to appear before the magistrate.