LUCKNOW, Jan. 7 -- A special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur on Tuesday summoned Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case related to his alleged objectionable remarks against Union home minister Amit Shah, the then BJP national president, in 2018. After a hearing that lasted around 40 minutes, the court directed Rahul Gandhi to appear in person on January 19. District government counsel (DGC), Crime, Santosh Pandey said the order was passed by Shubham Verma, the special MP/MLA court judge, under Section 313 of the CrPC, which allows the court to seek an accused's explanation on the evidence presented against him. He said this means the court wants Rahul Gandhi to personally clarify his stand before any conclusion is drawn. During the hearing, Rahul Gandhi's counsel Kashi Shukla completed the cross-examination of prosecution witness Ram Chandra Dubey. The DGC said no further witnesses would be produced from their side. The case dates back to 2018, when Rahul Gandhi, during a press conference in Bengaluru amid the Karnataka assembly elections, allegedly made remarks linking Amit Shah to a murder case. Following this, Vijay Mishra filed a criminal defamation complaint in Sultanpur on August 4, 2018, claiming that the statement hurt his sentiments as a BJP worker and damaged his social reputation.The remarks referred to the death of special CBI judge Brijmohan Harikishan Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case in which Amit Shah was an accused. Judge Loya died in Nagpur in December 2014. Later, Judge Loya's family described the death as natural, and the Supreme Court also dismissed pleas seeking a SIT probe, terming it a natural death. Rahul Gandhi is facing charges under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with criminal defamation. If convicted, he could face a sentence of up to two years in jail. In this case, Rahul Gandhi had appeared before the court on February 20, 2024, following a non-bailable warrant. At that time, he told the court that he was innocent and alleged political conspiracy behind the case. The court granted him bail on two bonds of Rs.25,000 each.The case has gained significance in light of Rahul Gandhi's past conviction in another defamation case by a Surat court, which had led to the cancellation of his Lok Sabha membership in March 2023. His membership was later restored after the sentence was stayed....