Sultanpur, Dec 16 (PTI) An MP-MLA court here Monday deferred the hearing in a defamation case against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to January 2 as the judge was on leave.

On December 4, the court deferred the hearing as Gandhi's lawyer was unwell.

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"A witness was present in court on Monday to record a statement but no proceedings could take place as the judge was on leave," the complainant's lawyer Santosh Kumar Pandey said.

The hearing has now been rescheduled for January 2.

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Gandhi has been accused of making objectionable comments during the 2018 Karnataka polls about Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was BJP president then.

Local BJP politician Vijay Mishra filed a complaint against Gandhi in August 2018, claiming the comments caused him personal anguish.

Gandhi surrendered before the court during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on February 20 and was granted bail on personal surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each.

Subsequently, the court issued several notices to the Congress leader to record his statement, but he was unable to appear before it due to the Lok Sabha polls.

Gandhi finally appeared before the MP-MLA court on July 26, got his statement recorded and said the case was filed to gain "cheap publicity".

The court then directed the complainant to present evidence, and further hearings have been underway since.

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