New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been acquitted in a criminal defamation case over remarks made against Amit Shah, the then president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the current Union Home Minister, during a rally in Bengaluru in 2018.
A Special MP MLA Court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, pronounced Gandhi not guilty, ruling that his remarks did not amount to defamation. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha appeared in person before the court for the pronouncement of the judgment.
The case dates back to 2018, when Vijay Mishra, who was then a BJP district vice president, filed a criminal defamation complaint against Gandhi. The complaint was registered under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with defamation and its punishment.
The complaint concerned remarks Gandhi made about Shah during a rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections. Mishra alleged that the comments had caused him distress as a long time party worker and pursued legal action against the Congress leader.
Gandhi appeared before the Sultanpur court in 2023 and secured bail in the case. The proceedings continued for several years before the court fixed a date for delivering its verdict. The judgment was initially scheduled for October 13 before being deferred to October 26.
A legal team led by senior advocate R. S. Cheema, along with advocates Kashi Shukla, Tarannum Cheema, Prasanna S. and Akash Singh, represented Gandhi during the proceedings.
The case had drawn attention because of the political prominence of the individuals involved and the legal questions surrounding Gandhi’s remarks about Shah.
The acquittal brings a significant development in the defamation proceedings initiated against the Congress leader over the statements made during the 2018 election campaign.
