CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Sultanpur. Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has received major legal relief from the special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. On Monday, 26 October 2026, the court acquitted Rahul Gandhi in the criminal defamation case linked to an alleged remark made in 2018 about Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The court discharged him after finding no sufficient grounds in the case. Rahul Gandhi was present in court when the verdict was delivered.
Case linked to the 2018 Karnataka election
The case related to an alleged remark made by Rahul Gandhi in Bengaluru during the Karnataka Assembly election in 2018. At that time, Amit Shah was the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Over Rahul Gandhi’s remark, local BJP leader and former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank Vijay Mishra filed a defamation complaint on 4 August 2018.
The complainant alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s statement contained remarks damaging to Amit Shah’s reputation. Rahul Gandhi opposed the allegations. His position was that the allegations made in the complaint were baseless.
Legal process continued for several years
During the hearing, statements of the complainant and witnesses were recorded. Rahul Gandhi appeared before the court in February 2024, where he was granted bail. Various legal procedures continued in the case thereafter. Proceedings were also held in courts over a petition related to matching voice samples.
Relief for Congress after the verdict
After the verdict was delivered on Monday, Rahul Gandhi was acquitted in the case. The decision brings this special defamation trial against him to a conclusion in the lower court. However, any further legal challenge will depend on the next steps of the parties concerned.
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