Updated - February 17, 2026 02:24 pm IST - Bengaluru While dictating the operative portion of the verdict, the High Court of Karnatata stated that continuance of proceedings against Rahul Gandhi would amount to legal abuse. | Photo Credit: File photo In a relief to Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the High Court of Karnataka on February 17 quashed the criminal proceedings in a defamation case filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The case was filed for allegedly issuing ‘defamatory’ advertisements in mainstream newspapers against the then BJP government in Karnataka during the campaign for the State Legislative Assembly elections in 2023.