Rahul Gandhi Acquitted in 2018 Defamation Case
Sultanpur court acquits Rahul Gandhi in a 2018 criminal defamation case involving remarks about Amit Shah. Read the full verdict details.
In a significant legal victory, the special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur has acquitted Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in a Rahul Gandhi defamation acquittal case dating back to 2018. Additional Civil Judge Shubam Verma delivered the verdict on October 26, 2026, concluding that the remarks made by the Raebareli MP did not amount to defamation.
The Roots of the Legal Battle
The case began on August 4, 2018, when Vijay Mishra, a BJP leader and the former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed a formal complaint. The complaint centered on comments Gandhi made during his campaign for the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.
Mishra alleged that Gandhi had made defamatory statements targeting the then-BJP national president and current Union Home Minister, Amit Shah. Based on these allegations, the case was registered under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deal with defamation and carry a potential prison sentence of up to two years.
Timeline of the Trial
The legal process moved through several stages over the years:
- November 27, 2023: The court summoned Rahul Gandhi to face trial.
- February 20, 2024: Gandhi appeared before the court and was subsequently granted bail.
- October 9, 2026: Final arguments in the case were concluded.
While the court had initially slated the verdict for October 13, 2026, the date was later rescheduled to October 26, 2026, the day the final judgment was announced in the presence of the Congress leader.
Court Proceedings and Verdict
During the trial, the legal battle saw Kashi Prasad Shukla representing the defense, while Santosh Kumar Pandey appeared on behalf of the complainant, Vijay Mishra. After reviewing the evidence and arguments, the court ruled that the comments in question did not constitute a criminal offense of defamation.
Following the announcement of the acquittal, supporters of Rahul Gandhi expressed their satisfaction with the court's decision, marking the end of a long-standing legal dispute originating from the 2018 election cycle.