New Delhi/IBNS: The Supreme Court on Monday lashed out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his claims that China had occupied 2,000 square kilometers of Indian land and asked for a reason behind such an assertion, media reports said.

A top court bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih slammed Rahul's remark which he passed during his nationwide mass outreach campaign, Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"How did you get to know that 2,000 sq km of Indian land has been taken over by the Chinese? If you are a true Indian... you won't say all of this," the bench said as quoted by NDTV.

The court rapped Rahul even after staying the proceedings in the criminal defamation case against the Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha.

The bench has issued a notice to quash the defamation case.

Representing the Congress' de facto top leader, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said as reported by the broadcaster, "If he can't say these things... how can he be the Leader of Opposition?"

In response, Justice Datta said, "Then why don't you say such things in Parliament. Why say on social media?"

Rahul had made the claim in the backdrop of the 2020 deadly Galwan clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers along Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The Rae Bareli MP had accused the Modi government of surrendering before China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had clarified neither anyone intruded into the Indian territory nor any post was captured.

"Neither anyone got inside our territory nor is any of our post captured," the Prime Minister had said in a statement.

Taking a dig at Rahul after the Supreme Court's observation, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell head Amit Malviya wrote on X, "... Does anyone still doubt who Rahul Gandhi is speaking for?"