A special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday acquitted Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case over his alleged remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president at the time.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shubham Verma pronounced the verdict in Gandhi's presence. The court held that the remarks were not defamatory in nature. Gandhi's defence counsel, Kashi Prasad Shukla, confirmed the acquittal.
Gandhi, who represents Raebareli in the Lok Sabha, arrived in Lucknow on Monday morning before travelling by road to Sultanpur. Security arrangements were tightened around the court premises ahead of the verdict.
Case stemmed from remarks during 2018 Karnataka elections
The case dates back to May 8, 2018, when Gandhi allegedly referred to Shah as a “murder accused” during a political rally in Bengaluru amid the Karnataka Assembly election campaign.
Vijay Mishra, then a BJP district vice-president and former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed a criminal defamation complaint against Gandhi on August 4, 2018. The complaint concerned the Congress leader's remarks about Shah, who was the BJP's national president at the time.
The proceedings were initiated under criminal defamation provisions of the Indian Penal Code. The court's acquittal clears Gandhi of the charges in this particular case.
Timeline of the proceedings
The special MP/MLA court summoned Gandhi on November 27, 2023. He appeared before the court on February 20, 2024, surrendered and secured bail.
During the trial, the court recorded statements from three witnesses: complainant Vijay Mishra, Anil Mishra and Ramchandra Dubey.
Mishra subsequently sought permission to match Gandhi's voice sample with a recording of the Bengaluru rally. The trial court rejected the application, and the sessions court upheld that decision. The Allahabad High Court later dismissed Mishra's challenge to the orders.
Arguments in the case concluded on October 12, with the court fixing October 26 for the pronouncement of its final verdict. The date had earlier been scheduled for October 13 before being revised.
Congress welcomes acquittal
The Uttar Pradesh Congress welcomed the verdict, saying in a statement in Hindi that the court had acquitted Gandhi in the defamation case relating to his remarks against Shah.
Congress workers also celebrated outside the court complex following the announcement, beating drums and distributing sweets.
The acquittal brings the proceedings in the Sultanpur complaint to a close, although it relates specifically to this case and does not affect any separate legal proceedings involving Gandhi.