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Major relief for Rahul Gandhi! Acquitted by a Sultanpur court in an 8-year-old defamation case involving Amit Shah
Sultanpur, October 26, 2026: Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a senior Congress leader, has received significant relief. A special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur has acquitted him in an 8-year-old defamation case stemming from remarks made in 2018 against the then-BJP President, Amit Shah. While delivering the verdict today, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shubham Verma stated that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks were not defamatory in nature. Rahul Gandhi was personally present in court when the judgment was announced. What was the case about?
On May 8, 2018, during the campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi referred to Amit Shah as a "murder accused" during a press conference in Bengaluru. At that time, Amit Shah was the national president of the BJP.
Objecting to this remark, BJP leader and former District Cooperative Bank chairman Vijay Mishra filed a defamation complaint on August 4, 2018.
Subsequently, in November 2023, the court issued a summons to Rahul Gandhi. He appeared in court in February 2024 and was granted bail.
Over the following years, the proceedings involved the recording of witness testimonies, applications regarding voice samples, and legal challenges that reached the High Court. Finally, on October 26, 2026, the court acquitted Rahul Gandhi.
This verdict provides a major political reprieve for Rahul Gandhi. The Congress party has welcomed the decision.
Sultanpur, October 26, 2026: Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a senior Congress leader, has received significant relief. A special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur has acquitted him in an 8-year-old defamation case stemming from remarks made in 2018 against the then-BJP President, Amit Shah. While delivering the verdict today, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shubham Verma stated that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks were not defamatory in nature. Rahul Gandhi was personally present in court when the judgment was announced. What was the case about?
On May 8, 2018, during the campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi referred to Amit Shah as a "murder accused" during a press conference in Bengaluru. At that time, Amit Shah was the national president of the BJP.
Objecting to this remark, BJP leader and former District Cooperative Bank chairman Vijay Mishra filed a defamation complaint on August 4, 2018.
Subsequently, in November 2023, the court issued a summons to Rahul Gandhi. He appeared in court in February 2024 and was granted bail.
Over the following years, the proceedings involved the recording of witness testimonies, applications regarding voice samples, and legal challenges that reached the High Court. Finally, on October 26, 2026, the court acquitted Rahul Gandhi.
This verdict provides a major political reprieve for Rahul Gandhi. The Congress party has welcomed the decision.
On May 8, 2018, during the campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi referred to Amit Shah as a "murder accused" during a press conference in Bengaluru. At that time, Amit Shah was the national president of the BJP.
Objecting to this remark, BJP leader and former District Cooperative Bank chairman Vijay Mishra filed a defamation complaint on August 4, 2018.
Subsequently, in November 2023, the court issued a summons to Rahul Gandhi. He appeared in court in February 2024 and was granted bail.
Over the following years, the proceedings involved the recording of witness testimonies, applications regarding voice samples, and legal challenges that reached the High Court. Finally, on October 26, 2026, the court acquitted Rahul Gandhi.
This verdict provides a major political reprieve for Rahul Gandhi. The Congress party has welcomed the decision.
