Sultanpur, October 26, 2026: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi received a major legal relief on Monday as a special MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh dismissed a criminal defamation complaint arising from his political remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah nearly eight years ago.
The court, presided over by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shubham Verma, acquitted Gandhi after concluding that his statements did not amount to criminal defamation. The court also found that the complainant did not qualify as an aggrieved person in the matter.
Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, attended the proceedings in person as the judgment was announced.
The dispute dates back to the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election campaign, when Gandhi questioned the BJP’s position on political accountability while referring to a criminal case previously involving Shah, who was the party’s national president at the time.
His comments led BJP leader Vijay Mishra of Sultanpur to file a complaint in August 2018, alleging that the statements had harmed Shah’s reputation. The case was registered under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which dealt with criminal defamation.
The allegations concerned Gandhi’s reference to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, from which Shah had been discharged by a special CBI court in 2014.
The proceedings continued for several years, with Gandhi challenging the accusations. He was granted bail in February 2024 after appearing before the court.
The verdict had originally been expected on October 13 but was subsequently deferred to October 26.
Congress workers gathered near the court premises welcomed the judgment, celebrating the acquittal of the senior party leader.
Monday’s ruling concludes the proceedings before the Sultanpur trial court in a case that had remained unresolved since 2018.
