Congress leader Rahul Gandhi acquitted in 2018 defamation case by Sultanpur court

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has been acquitted by an MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in a defamation case linked to remarks made during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election campaign. The case originated from comments made in Bengaluru in May 2018, where Gandhi allegedly referred to Amit Shah as a murder accused while Shah served as the Bharatiya Janata Party's national president.

Court Verdict

The court dismissed the case after nearly eight years of legal proceedings. According to complainant's lawyer Santosh Pandey, the court considered three main questions regarding the genuineness of the audio CD, whether the complainant was an aggrieved person, and whether the statement was defamatory. While the court found the CD to be genuine, it ruled that the complainant was not an aggrieved person and that the remarks were not defamatory. The court examined three witnesses for the complainant, while no witnesses appeared from the defense side.

Reactions

Gandhi appeared before the court amid tight security, accompanied by party workers and supporters, before leaving after the judgment was pronounced. Gandhi's lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, confirmed the acquittal. Meanwhile, the complainant, Vijay Mishra, who is a former vice-president of the BJP's Sultanpur unit, stated that he would study the judgment and consult counsel before deciding whether to file a revision in the case.

Context

Defamation cases involving prominent political figures frequently move through special MP-MLA courts designed to fast-track criminal trials against lawmakers. Such legal disputes often center on political speeches delivered during heated election campaigns across the country.