In a possible sign of further legal troubles for Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader has been served with a legal notice by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice-president Prabhat Jha for making comments claiming that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had passed a law which allowed tribals to be shot, reports Firstpost.

Gandhi’s comments were apparently in reference to the draft version of the Indian Forest Act, 2019, which includes a proposal to provide indemnity to forest officials who use weapons to prevent offences.

Talking about the draft law at a rally in Bhopal, Gandhi had stated, “Narendra Modi Sarkar ne ek kanun banaya hai jisme ek line likhi gayi hai ki adivasiyon ko goli se mara ja sakega" (Narendra Modi government has passed a law in which one line allows the shooting of tribals).

Jha said that his party has asked Gandhi to respond to the notice within three days, and if he doesn’t meet that deadline, it would pursue a case of defamation against him. He further questioned why Gandhi, being a parliamentarian, was silent when the draft was being discussed in Parliament.

The notice refers to the Congress president’s remarks as "defamatory, derogatory, lacking verification and without any substance."

Gandhi is already facing contempt proceedings in the Supreme Court for incorrectly attributing remarks against the incumbent government over the Rafale deal to the apex court.