Rahul Gandhi acquitted in 2018 defamation case over remarks against Amit Shah, says Congress

A special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday acquitted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of all charges in a 2018 criminal defamation case over his alleged objectionable remarks against Union home minister Amit Shah, who was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president at the time.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Raebareli MP, appeared before the court of Additional Civil Judge Shubham Verma for the pronouncement of the verdict. Defence counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla confirmed the acquittal.

Gandhi landed in Lucknow on Monday morning and travelled to Sultanpur by road amid heavy security arrangements at the court premises.

The case dates back to May 8, 2018, when Gandhi allegedly made objectionable remarks against Shah at a political rally in Bengaluru during the Karnataka Assembly elections. He allegedly referred to Shah as a “murder accused”.

Vijay Mishra, then a BJP district vice-president and former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed the defamation complaint against Gandhi on August 4, 2018.

Timeline of the case

The court summoned Gandhi on November 27, 2023. He surrendered before the court on February 20, 2024, and secured bail.

During the trial, the court recorded the statements of three witnesses: complainant Vijay Mishra, Anil Mishra and Ramchandra Dubey.

Mishra also sought to have Gandhi's voice sample matched with the recording of the Bengaluru rally. The trial court rejected the plea, a decision upheld by the sessions court. The Allahabad High Court subsequently dismissed Mishra's challenge to the orders.

Arguments in the case concluded on October 12, and the court fixed October 26 for the final verdict.

The Uttar Pradesh Congress welcomed the acquittal, stating in Hindi that the court had cleared Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case related to his remarks against Shah.