Photo: Sidheeq / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A special MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur on Monday, October 26, acquitted Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case over remarks he made about Amit Shah, then the BJP’s national president and now Union Home Minister, during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election campaign. Special Magistrate Shubham Verma pronounced the verdict with Mr. Gandhi present in the courtroom, and found the charges not proved for lack of evidence.
What the case was about
The complaint was filed on August 4, 2018, by Vijay Mishra, a BJP leader from Hanumanganj in Sultanpur and a former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank. He accused Mr. Gandhi of calling Mr. Shah a “murder accused” while speaking in Bengaluru ahead of the Karnataka polls that year. The remark was understood to refer to the old allegations linking Mr. Shah to the 2005 killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in an alleged fake encounter.
The case began in a civil court before moving to the special court that hears cases against sitting and former lawmakers. Summons were issued in November 2023, and Mr. Gandhi appeared on February 20, 2024, when he was granted bail on two sureties of ₹25,000 each. His statement was recorded in July 2024, followed by the examination of the complainant and other witnesses. Final arguments ran from October 6 to October 12 this year, and a verdict first listed for October 13 was moved to Monday, with the magistrate directing Mr. Gandhi to attend in person.
How both sides argued
In his written arguments, Mr. Gandhi’s lawyer accepted that the statement had been made but argued it was said in good faith, without any intention to insult, and that it had been twisted and presented out of context. The Congress leader had told the court the complaint was a political conspiracy. The complainant’s side argued that the admission itself was enough to convict him.
Mr. Gandhi spent only around a quarter of an hour inside the court complex. Congress leaders welcomed the outcome as proof that “truth alone triumphs”, and party workers celebrated outside. Mr. Mishra said the judgment had just been delivered and that he would study it with his lawyer before deciding what to do next.
Convoy collision on the way
Earlier in the morning, several private vehicles of local Congress leaders following Mr. Gandhi’s convoy from Lucknow collided on the Purvanchal Expressway at around 10.15 am after a car in front braked suddenly, police said. Mr. Gandhi, whose car was well ahead, was unhurt, and police said there were no serious injuries. The Uttar Pradesh Police later set up a Special Investigation Team to examine whether any lapse in security, escort arrangements or traffic management contributed to the crash.
Why it matters and what next
The verdict ends an eight-year case that kept the Leader of Opposition returning to a Sultanpur courtroom, and it comes as he faces other legal battles over campaign remarks against BJP leaders. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court separately stayed a defamation trial against him over his ‘commander-in-thief’ remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The complainant could still challenge Monday’s acquittal before a higher court once he has studied the judgment.
