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 over his 2018 remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was then the BJP’s national president.
The complaint was filed in August 2018 by BJP leader Vijay Mishra, who alleged that Rahul Gandhi made derogatory remarks about Home Minister Amit Shah during a press conference in Bengaluru. Rahul Gandhi allegedly made the following remark during a press conference in Bengaluru in May 2018, amid the Karnataka Assembly election campaign:
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“People in India forget that the president of BJP is a murder accused. That’s the truth. The party that talks about honesty, decency, has a person who has been accused of murder as president.”
He was referring to Amit Shah, then BJP president, in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. Though, Amit Shah had been discharged by a special CBI court in 2014. A case was registered under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with criminal defamation and its punishment.
Rahul Gandhi denied the allegations and arguing that his remarks had been taken out of context. His counsel submitted that the complaint is baseless and sought its dismissal.
Rahul Gandhi appeared before the court when Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shubham Verma pronounced the verdict on October 26, 2026. The court held that the remarks were not defamatory in nature, acquitting him in the case.