Rahul Gandhi acquitted in defamation case

A special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, acquitted Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday (26 October) in a 2018 criminal defamation case over remarks he allegedly made about Amit Shah, then BJP president, at a Bengaluru rally during the 2018 Karnataka campaign. The case was filed by local BJP member Vijay Mishra. Gandhi attended the verdict in person, and his supporters celebrated outside the court, according to TV footage. His counsel, Kashi Prasad Shukla, confirmed the acquittal. Mishra's counsel had earlier sought to match Gandhi's voice with the rally recording, a request rejected by lower courts and the Allahabad High Court. The court had heard final arguments on 12 October. Congress's Uttar Pradesh unit welcomed the verdict.

Where accounts differ. The Hindu reports a separate Jharkhand case in Chaibasa, in which Gandhi was granted bail in August 2025, and says he denied the statements in court; the other outlets do not mention this case or its details.

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