Court grants Rahul Gandhi bail in 2018 Amit Shah defamation case

Rahul Gandhi was granted conditional bail by the MP-MLA court in Chaibasa on August 6, 2025 in a defamation case linked to comments he made about Home Minister Amit Shah during a 2018 rally. The bail order came from Judge Supriya Rani Tigga after Gandhi appeared in person, travelling from Ranchi by helicopter and landing at Tata College ground around 10 a.m. He waited about 45 minutes at Chaibasa Parishad before proceeding to the civil court. Gandhi’s lawyer, Pranav Daripa, said the court had directed the appearance and then released the bail on the condition of cooperation with the investigation. The case was originally filed by BJP leader Pratap Kumar on July 9, 2018, accusing Gandhi of defamatory statements intended to tarnish Shah’s image. The Jharkhand High Court later moved the matter to a special MP-MLA court in Ranchi in February 2020, and it was again reassigned to the Chaibasa special court. Gandhi arrived in Jharkhand with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to attend the funeral of former chief minister Shibu Soren in Nemra, Ramgarh district. Complainant’s counsel Vinod Kumar Sahu told reporters that Gandhi denied making the alleged remarks, despite the speech being posted on the Congress website. The bail allows the trial to proceed while Gandhi must assist the probe.

Context

Defamation suits against politicians in India often involve lengthy court transfers, and bail is typically granted with conditions to ensure the accused does not hinder the investigation.