Sultanpur Court Dismisses 2018 Defamation Case Against Rahul Gandhi

The Special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur has officially dismissed the 2018 defamation case filed against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi regarding his comments about Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a press conference in Bengaluru.

Sultanpur Court Verdict on Rahul Gandhi

Sultanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 26 (ANI): The Special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh has dismissed the 2018 defamation case against Rahul Gandhi on Monday. The case stemmed from remarks made by Rahul Gandhi in 2018 in Bengaluru, Karnataka in which it was alleged that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha had made “objectionable remarks” against Amit Shah. Rahul Gandhi travelled from Delhi to come to Sultanpur Special MP/MLA court today to hear the pronouncement of the verdict.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been summoned by the MP/MLA court on December 16 2023, in connection with a 2018 case over using derogatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a Bengaluru conference. The complaint was filed by the then BJP District Vice President, Vijay Mishra.

Background of the Defamation Case

The complainant in the defamation case, Vijay Mishra, told ANI earlier today that he is “hopeful” of receiving justice from the court. "We are hopeful that we will receive justice, given the way they behaved toward our BJP’s national president at that time (Amit Shah). This legal case has been ongoing since 2018, spanning all the way to 2026. Today is the date for the verdict, and given how the case has been contested by our legal counsel, we are optimistic that the judgment will be in our favour," Mishra told ANI.

Legal Arguments and Proceedings

According to Mishra’s counsel, advocate Kashi Prasad Shukla, "This matter dates back to May 2018, when, during a press conference in Bengaluru, Rahul Gandhi made objectionable remarks about the then-national president of the BJP, Amit Shah. He referred to him as an accused in a murder case. Aggrieved by this, Vijay Mishra—the then-chairman of the local District Co-operative Bank, who also served as a BJP vice-president for the district—filed a formal complaint.”

Earlier, talking about the case, advocate Pandey said that if Gandhi is found guilty, Section 500 of IPC allows for two years of imprisonment and a fine. Under Section 437A of the CrPC, an accused is required to execute bail bonds with sureties to ensure appearance before higher appellate courts in the event an appeal is preferred against the trial court's verdict. (ANI)

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