Sultanpur court dismisses 2018 defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over Amit Shah remarks

A Special MP/MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday dismissed the 2018 defamation case against Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The case was linked to remarks Gandhi allegedly made about then BJP national president Amit Shah during a press conference in Bengaluru in 2018.

Gandhi travelled from Delhi to Sultanpur on Monday to be present in court for the pronouncement of the verdict.

The case dates back to May 2018, when Gandhi was accused of making "objectionable remarks" about Amit Shah during a press conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The complaint was filed by Vijay Mishra, who was then the BJP district vice-president and chairman of the local District Co-operative Bank.

According to Mishra's counsel, advocate Kashi Prasad Shukla, "This matter dates back to May 2018, when, during a press conference in Bengaluru, Rahul Gandhi made objectionable remarks about the then-national president of the BJP, Amit Shah. He referred to him as an accused in a murder case.

Don't Miss: 'Indians today think bigger & compete harder': Former England captain Kevin Pietersen on how the country has changed during PM Modi’s tenure

Aggrieved by this, Vijay Mishra-the then-chairman of the local District Co-operative Bank, who also served as a BJP vice-president for the district-filed a formal complaint."

Rahul Gandhi was summoned by the MP/MLA court on December 16, 2023, in connection with the case.

Complainant had expected a verdict in his favour

Before the verdict, complainant Vijay Mishra told ANI that he was "hopeful" of receiving justice from the court.

"We are hopeful that we will receive justice, given the way they behaved toward our BJP's national president at that time (Amit Shah)," Mishra told ANI.

"This legal case has been ongoing since 2018, spanning all the way to 2026. Today is the date for the verdict," he said.

Must Read: Rahul Gandhi announces ‘vote bachao, desh bachao’ march at Ramlila Maidan on November 1

"Given how the case has been contested by our legal counsel, we are optimistic that the judgment will be in our favour," Mishra added.

Earlier, advocate Pandey had said that if Gandhi was found guilty, Section 500 of the IPC allows for two years of imprisonment and a fine.

Under Section 437A of the CrPC, an accused is required to execute bail bonds with sureties to ensure appearance before higher appellate courts in the event an appeal is preferred against the trial court's verdict.

(With inputs from ANI)