A special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday acquitted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in a 2018 criminal defamation case over his alleged objectionable remarks against Amit Shah, who was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president at the time.
The remarks were allegedly made at a rally in Bengaluru. During the proceedings, Mishra sought to have Gandhi’s voice sample compared with the recording of the Bengaluru speech. The trial court rejected the application, and the sessions court subsequently dismissed his revision petition challenging the order. The Allahabad High Court also rejected his challenge to the decisions of the two courts. The Uttar Pradesh Congress welcomed the verdict, saying in a statement in Hindi that the court had acquitted Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case concerning his remarks against Amit Shah. Gandhi arrived at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport this morning. Hundreds of Congress workers and local party leaders gathered at the airport to welcome the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Raebareli MP. Rahul Gandhi ji is going to Sultanpur for that case only.”
The case relates to alleged objectionable remarks made by Gandhi against Shah during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election campaign. BJP leader Vijay Mishra, a former chairman of the District Cooperative Bank in Sultanpur, filed the defamation complaint against Gandhi on August 4, 2018. The court summoned Gandhi to face trial in November 2023. The Congress leader subsequently appeared before the court and secured bail in February 2024. It had initially scheduled the pronouncement for October 13 before fixing October 26 as the new date. Earlier reporting noted: Rahul Gandhi heads to U.P.’s Sultanpur for verdict in defamation case Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to appear before a special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, which is set to pronounce its verdict in a defamation case against him on Monday (October 26, 2026).
Earlier reporting noted: Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ told PTI Videos , “We have complete faith in the judiciary.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and MP from Raebareli, appeared before the court in person for the pronouncement of the verdict. The trial court had reserved its verdict after arguments in the case concluded earlier this month. Earlier reporting noted: Mr.
