Rahul Gandhi Gets Relief as Sultanpur Court Dismisses Defamation Case Over Amit Shah Remarks

New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has got relief in the ongoing defamation case in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The special MP-MLA court on October 26 dismissed the case related to alleged objectionable remarks made against then BJP president Amit Shah in 2018. This case was going on for about eight years. BJP leader Vijay Mishra had filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi. However, the detailed basis of the court's decision is not clear from available reports.  

What was the whole matter?

This controversy dates back to 8 May 2018, when Rahul Gandhi, while campaigning in Bengaluru during the Karnataka Assembly elections, made comments regarding Amit Shah. At that time Shah was the national president of BJP. Complainant Vijay Mishra alleged that Rahul Gandhi's statement harmed Amit Shah's reputation and comes under the category of defamation. On this basis, a complaint was filed in Sultanpur court on 4 August 2018.  

When did Rahul Gandhi appear in court?

The court had summoned Rahul Gandhi in the case on 27 November 2023. After this, on 20 February 2024, he appeared in Sultanpur court and got bail. His statement was recorded on 26 July 2024. After this, the statements of the complainant and his witnesses were recorded and both parties presented legal arguments.  

Why was there a legal battle regarding voice sample?

During the trial, the complainant party had demanded to match Rahul Gandhi's voice sample with the recording of the alleged speech. The trial court rejected this application. After this, this order was challenged in the Sessions Court and then in the Allahabad High Court, but there was no relief there either. After this legal process, final arguments in the case took place and the court had fixed October 26 for the verdict.

What happened before the decision?

The last arguments in the court were held in October 2026. Both the parties presented their arguments and after the completion of the hearing, the decision was reserved. Rahul Gandhi was to be present in the court at the time of judgement on 26 October. The court dismissed the case on the same day, ending the long-running legal proceedings. However, it would not be appropriate to make additional claims about the detailed reasons for the decision or the legal findings recorded in the order on the basis of available reports.