In a major legal relief for the Opposition, a special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday, October 26, 2026, acquitted Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of all charges in a 2018 criminal defamation case regarding his remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Court Pronounces Acquittal in Personal Presence of Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi appeared in person before Additional Civil Judge Shubham Verma at the Sultanpur district court for the pronouncement of the verdict. Following the presentation of final arguments, defence counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla confirmed that the court dismissed the case and acquitted Gandhi of all defamation charges.
”The court has acquitted Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case, ruling in our favor and dismissing the complaint,” defence counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla stated following the hearing.
The Congress MP landed in Lucknow earlier on Monday morning and travelled to Sultanpur by road, shortly after his convoy vehicles were involved in a minor collision on the Purvanchal Expressway. Heavy security arrangements were deployed around the court premises during the proceedings.
Background of the 2018 Defamation Case
The case originated from a political rally in Bengaluru during the Karnataka Assembly elections in May 2018, where Gandhi allegedly made objectionable comments referring to Amit Shah, who was serving as the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the time.
Local BJP leader and former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, Vijay Mishra, filed the criminal defamation complaint on August 4, 2018. Gandhi was summoned by the court in November 2023 and subsequently surrendered before the magistrate in February 2024 to secure bail.
During trial proceedings, the court recorded testimony from three witnesses. A plea by the complainant to match Gandhi’s voice sample with the rally recording was rejected by the trial court, a decision later upheld by the Allahabad High Court.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress unit welcomed the acquittal, hailing the judgment as a validation of truth and democratic expression.