Sultanpur court acquits Rahul Gandhi in Amit Shah defamation case
The ruling protects political criticism from immediate criminal punishment.
Overview
Rahul Gandhi has been by a over a 2018 campaign remark calling then BJP president Amit Shah an accused in a murder case. Gandhi was referring to the , from which Shah had been discharged in 2014. BJP leader Vijay Mishra filed the complaint in August 2018 under of the , arguing that the remark damaged Shah’s reputation and the BJP’s standing. Gandhi appeared in court, received bail, denied wrongdoing and said his words had been taken out of context. 1
The court ruled on October 26, 2026, that the remarks were not defamatory and Gandhi, ending the case at the trial-court level. Mishra has said he may appeal after reviewing the order, but that intention does not change Gandhi’s immediate legal status: he remains unless an appellate court intervenes. The case highlights how sharp election criticism can become criminal litigation, especially when it concerns allegations against public figures, while leaving open the wider political dispute over how far such speech should go. 1
Timeline
Vijay Mishra said he would challenge Gandhi’s acquittal before an appellate court
Mishra said he intended to challenge the verdict after obtaining a and taking legal advice. That announced intention did not itself overturn the acquittal or change Gandhi’s immediate legal status. Unless an takes further action, the trial-court judgment remains an acquittal in this case.
The Sultanpur special MP-MLA court acquitted Rahul Gandhi in the Amit Shah defamation case
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shubham Verma acquitted Gandhi in the case over his 2018 remarks. The court held that the remarks were not defamatory in nature and dismissed the complaint. The ruling ended the case at the trial-court level with respect to the allegations.
The Sultanpur court first scheduled its verdict for October 13, 2026
After the trial proceedings, the special MP-MLA court fixed October 13 for . The date marked the final procedural stage before the court ruled on whether Gandhi’s 2018 remarks met the criminal defamation standard. The pronouncement was later rescheduled.
Rahul Gandhi appeared before the Sultanpur court and was granted bail
Rahul Gandhi surrendered before the Sultanpur court on February 20, 2024, in the defamation case concerning remarks about Amit Shah and was granted bail after furnishing .
The Sultanpur special MP-MLA court continued hearing the complaint against Gandhi
The case proceeded before the special court handling criminal matters involving elected representatives. The central dispute remained whether Gandhi’s campaign-period statement unlawfully harmed Shah’s reputation or amounted to . The proceedings continued until the court moved to pronounce judgment in 2026.
BJP leader Vijay Mishra filed a criminal defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi
Mishra, a local BJP leader and former Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank chairman, filed the complaint in Sultanpur. He alleged that Gandhi’s remarks about Shah were objectionable and harmed Shah’s reputation and the standing of BJP workers. The complaint invoked .
Rahul Gandhi called Amit Shah a murder accused during the Karnataka election campaign
At a Bengaluru press conference during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election campaign, Gandhi said the BJP claimed to support clean politics while its president was a . The statement referred to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh case, but the allegation was the complainant’s characterization of Gandhi’s words, not a finding that Shah was guilty.
A special CBI court discharged Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh case
The discharge became relevant when Rahul Gandhi later referred to Shah in connection with the case. The court reportedly found insufficient evidence to proceed against Shah, who was then a senior BJP leader. Gandhi’s 2018 remark became the basis for a despite that earlier discharge.