Rahul Gandhi Acquitted in 2018 Defamation Case Against Amit Shah

A special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday acquitted Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed in 2018 over his alleged remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah.

The case originated from a speech Gandhi delivered at a rally in Bengaluru on May 8, 2018, during the Karnataka Assembly elections, in which he reportedly referred to Shah as an accused in a murder case. BJP leader Vijay Mishra subsequently filed a complaint against him. Gandhi had denied any intention to defame Shah, maintaining that his remarks were made in good faith. His lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, confirmed the acquittal. The court had concluded arguments on October 12 and reserved October 26 for its verdict.

Meanwhile, a separate accident occurred on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur on Monday morning, involving five vehicles travelling behind Gandhi’s convoy and an ambulance. Some people sustained minor injuries. Uttar Pradesh DGP Rajeev Krishna constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Lucknow Range IG Kiran S, to investigate the accident and examine possible security and traffic-management lapses. The team also includes Sultanpur ASP Brij Narayan Singh and DSP (Traffic) Ram Krishna Chaturvedi.