A special MP/MLA court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur on Monday acquitted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed over his remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election campaign. Gandhi appeared before the court on October 26 for the verdict. The complaint was filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra, a former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, on August 4, 2018, over Gandhi’s reported comments about Shah at a campaign rally in Bengaluru.
The defamation case dates back to August 4, 2018, when BJP leader Vijay Mishra, a former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi over remarks he made about then-BJP president Amit Shah at a campaign rally in Bengaluru ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections.
Gandhi surrendered before the court in February 2024 and was granted bail. His statement was recorded in July 2024, after which the court examined Mishra and other witnesses as part of the trial.
The proceedings continued over the following years, with a series of applications and court hearings. In March 2026, an application was filed seeking to match Gandhi’s voice sample. The trial court rejected the plea in May. Challenges to the decision were subsequently dismissed by the district court in July and the Allahabad High Court in September.
Final arguments in the defamation case began on October 6, 2026, and concluded on October 12. Additional Civil Judge Shubham Verma had initially scheduled the verdict for October 13 but later fixed October 26 as the date for its pronouncement. Gandhi appeared before the court on Monday, when the verdict was delivered.
Final arguments began on October 6 and concluded on October 12. The court had initially fixed October 13 for the verdict before setting October 26 as the date for its pronouncement. Additional Civil Judge Shubham Verma heard the matter. Earlier on Monday, a collision involving vehicles in Gandhi’s convoy was reported on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur district as he travelled from Lucknow to attend the hearing.
The incident took place around 10.15 am near the 89.5-km mark of the expressway, within the jurisdiction of Haliyapur police station. According to a police officer quoted by PTI, a private vehicle belonging to local Congress leaders and travelling ahead of the other vehicles suddenly braked for an unspecified reason. Vehicles behind it then collided with one another.
Gandhi’s car was not involved in the accident, and he remained safe, the officer said. The convoy resumed its journey to Sultanpur, accompanied by police personnel for security.
