- Rahul Gandhi acquitted in 2018 defamation case over remarks against Amit Shah
- Uttar Pradesh court ruled Gandhi's comments were not defamatory
- Case was filed by the then BJP District Vice President, Vijay Mishra
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, has been acquitted in a defamation case over his remarks against then-BJP president and currrent Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a rally in 2018. A court in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur pronounced Gandhi 'not guilty' stating that his remarks were not defamatory.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi, appeared in person before the Special MP-MLA Court in Sultanpur for the pronouncement of the judgment.
In 2018, the then BJP District Vice President, Vijay Mishra, had filed a criminal defamation case under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Gandhi over his remarks at a rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.
"I was the vice president of BJP when this incident happened...When I heard these allegations, I felt very pained because I am a 33-year-old worker of the party. I filed a complaint regarding this through my lawyer and this continued for almost five years," Vijay Mishra had told ANI on November 28, 2023, after the Court issued a summon to Gandhi.
Gandhi appeared before the court in 2023 and secured bail. The court had earlier fixed October 13 for pronouncing its verdict, which was subsequently scheduled for October 26.
Senior Advocate RS Cheema with advocates Kashi Shukla, Tarannum Cheema, Prasanna S and Akash Singh represented Gandhi.
Ahead of the judgment, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Mishra 'Mona' had told PTI Videos, "We have complete faith in the judiciary. Rahul Gandhi ji is going to Sultanpur for that case only."
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