Rahul Gandhi acquitted in defamation case over 2018 remarks against Shah

• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was acquitted by a Sultanpur MP-MLA court in a defamation case over his 2018 remarks against Amit Shah

• BJP leader Vijay Mishra filed the complaint in August 2018 over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks at a rally ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections

• Rahul Gandhi appeared in court in 2023 and secured bail before the verdict was delivered on 26 October

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was acquitted by an MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday in a defamation case linked to his 2018 remarks against then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah.

Rahul Gandhi was present in court when the verdict was pronounced on Monday, 26 October. The case stemmed from remarks he made at a rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 Karnataka assembly elections.

The defamation complaint was filed on 4 August 2018, by Vijay Mishra, a local BJP politician and former chairman of the District Cooperative Bank in Sultanpur. Mishra had alleged that Gandhi's comments about Shah were defamatory.

The case subsequently proceeded before the MP-MLA court, which handles matters involving elected representatives. Gandhi appeared before the court in 2023 and was granted bail during the proceedings.

The court had initially scheduled the verdict for 13 October, but the date was later deferred to 26 October.

With Monday's ruling, the court acquitted Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case. The matter had remained pending for several years following the complaint over his remarks during the Karnataka election campaign.

The case was among the legal proceedings arising from political statements made during election campaigns, highlighting the role of courts in adjudicating allegations of defamation involving political leaders.

With PTI inputs