Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to appear before a special court in Karnataka’s Bengaluru on Friday regarding a defamation case filed by the state's BJP unit. Gandhi was seen at Delhi airport early Friday morning, en route to Bengaluru for the court appearance.

The BJP's complaint alleges that advertisements and "false campaigning" by Congress in local newspapers ahead of the 2023 state assembly elections damaged the party's image. The case includes charges against the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Rahul Gandhi.

Earlier, on June 1, the court granted bail to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. After securing bail, Siddaramaiah commented, "I appeared before the judge as instructed by the court. I got the bail. A private complaint was filed against me, KPCC president, and Rahul Gandhi too. Rahul Gandhi will also appear in court."

Shivakumar termed the case as "false," stating, "It is a false case from the Bharatiya Janata Party against me, Rahul Gandhi, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah."

In the May 2023 state assembly elections, the Congress party achieved a landslide victory, securing 135 out of 224 seats in the Karnataka Assembly, thereby ousting the ruling BJP, which won 66 seats. The Janata Dal (Secular) secured 19 seats.