The Special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur on Monday acquitted Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP from Rae Bareli, in an eight-year-old defamation case linked to “murder accused” remarks against the then BJP national president Amit Shah, who is now the Union home minister.
In a 49-page judgment, the court held that the complainant Vijay Mishra is neither the person aggrieved under Section 199 of the Criminal Procedure Code nor member of a definite identifiable class and the alleged statement does not cross the higher threshold required for defamation in political discourse. “The alleged imputation (made by Rahul Gandhi during a press conference in Bengaluru on May 8, 2018 ) is about Amit Shah primarily and at best BJP.
Nowhere is Vijay Mishra named,” the court said in its order.
“It has become a trend in Congress to use unparliamentary language for BJP leaders. The court determined that the complainant, Vijay Mishra did not qualify as an aggrieved person. Since we have not yet been able to review the full text of the judgment, we are currently expressing our happiness over the fact that Rahul Gandhi has been acquitted.
Terming the remark defamatory, Vijay Mishra, the then district vice-president of BJP and former chairman of Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed a complaint before the Sultanpur court on August 4, 2018. Earlier reporting noted: LUCKNOW: A special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur 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. Earlier reporting noted: The Congress leader subsequently appeared before the court and secured bail in February 2024.
Mishra said he was pained as a long-time party worker. Congress leaders, including state president Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’, said they have full faith in the judiciary. Latest incident is the statement of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on PM Narendra Modi’s father,” Singh said. As for the specific reasoning or the grounds upon which the case was dismissed, we cannot provide full details until we have the complete judgment,” said Kashi Prasad Shukla, the advocate representing Rahul Gandhi.
Earlier, when Rahul Gandhi arrived at Lucknow airport on the way to Sultanpur, senior Congress leaders, including Aradhna Mishra, deputy leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari, former MP PL Punia, the party’s Lucknow district president Rudra Daman Singh, and Congress Legislature Party leader Virendra Chaudhary welcomed him. Earlier reporting noted: “Rahul Gandhi has been acquitted in this case. Refusing to comment on the court order, BJP chief state spokesperson Dinesh Pratap Singh on Monday said Congress leaders must refrain from commenting on senior political leaders.
