A special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur acquitted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday in a 2018 criminal defamation case. The case started after Gandhi made remarks against Amit Shah during the Karnataka election campaign. Gandhi appeared in person for the verdict. The Uttar Pradesh Congress welcomed the court's final decision today.
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.
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 case relates to alleged objectionable remarks made by Gandhi against Shah during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election campaign. The remarks were allegedly made at a rally in Bengaluru.
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.
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 trial court had reserved its verdict after arguments in the case concluded earlier this month. It had initially scheduled the pronouncement for October 13 before fixing October 26 as the new date.
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.