- Sultanpur court dismisses 2018 defamation case against Rahul Gandhi.
- Leader of Opposition arrived in Lucknow ahead of the verdict.
- Hundreds of Congress workers gathered at the airport to welcome him.
A big relief for Lok Sabha LoP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur on Monday dismissed the 2018 defamation against him, citing lack of evidence. Rahul Gandhi reached the Sultanpur Court today. He arrived at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow in the morning. Hundreds of Congress workers and local party leaders had gathered there to welcome the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Mishra told PTI Videos, "We have complete faith in the judiciary. Rahul Gandhi ji is going to Sultanpur for that case only."
Security arrangements were also beefed up in Sultanpur in view of the proceedings, particularly around the court complex.
What Was The Case Against Rahul Gandhi?
In 2018, the Congress leader allegedly made some remarks against Amit Shah at a rally during the Karnataka Assembly polls. A case was filed by local BJP leader Vijay Mishra on August 4, 2018. Rahul Gandhi was accused of making some objectionable comments against Shah.
Previously, Gandhi appeared before the Sultanpur court in February 2024, during which he denied all the allegations and secured bail. The case was also described as baseless by Gandhi's counsel, Kashi Prasad Shukla.
During the case, Mishra had asked for a voice sample from Rahul Gandhi to check if it matched the audio recording of his speech in Bengaluru. The trial court rejected the request. Mishra later challenged the decision, but both the sessions court and the Allahabad High Court upheld the trial court’s order. After hearing arguments earlier this month, the trial court reserved its ruling. The judgment was originally scheduled for October 13 but was later postponed to October 26.
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What Happened During Final Hearing?
Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer maintained that while he had made the controversial remarks, they were not meant to offend anyone and had been taken out of context. The complainant’s counsel, however, argued that Gandhi’s admission itself was enough for a conviction. After hearing both sides, the court reserved its ruling. On Monday, Special Magistrate Shubham Verma acquitted the Congress leader.
Welcoming the court’s decision, the Uttar Pradesh Congress announced that Rahul Gandhi had been acquitted in the defamation case related to his remarks about Amit Shah.