Rahul Gandhi Acquitted in Sultanpur Defamation Case Over Alleged Remarks Against Amit Shah

A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur on Monday acquitted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case over his alleged remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election campaign.

The court ruled that the complainant, former BJP Sultanpur unit vice-president Vijay Mishra, was not an aggrieved person and that the statement in question did not amount to defamation.

Gandhi appeared before the court amid tight security, accompanied by party workers and supporters. After the verdict was pronounced, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha left the premises.

“The court has acquitted Rahul Gandhi in the case,” his lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, confirmed.

Court Examined Three Key Questions

Mishra’s lawyer, Santosh Pandey, said the court considered three issues: the authenticity of a CD containing the alleged remarks, whether the complainant qualified as an aggrieved person, and whether the statement was defamatory.

“The MP/MLA court which was hearing the case, found the CD to be genuine, but did not find the complainant to be an aggrieved person, nor the statement made against Amit Shah to be defamatory. I have yet to study the full judgment,” Pandey said.

He added that the court examined three witnesses presented by the complainant, while no witnesses appeared on the other side.

Mishra said he would study the judgment and consult his legal team before deciding whether to challenge the decision through a revision petition.

Case Dates Back to 2018

According to Mishra, Gandhi made the alleged remarks against Shah in Bengaluru in May 2018, during campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections. At the time, Shah was serving as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national president.

The complaint subsequently led to legal proceedings against Gandhi in Sultanpur.

With the court ruling that the complainant was not an aggrieved person and that the remarks were not defamatory, Gandhi has been acquitted in the case. Mishra has indicated that he will consider his next legal steps after reviewing the full judgment.