Vehicles travelling behind Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's car collided on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district. The incident occurred near the 89.5-km mark under Haliyapur police station limits. Rahul Gandhi's car remained safe.
The incident occurred as the Congress leader was travelling from Lucknow towards Sultanpur. (Credits: Nitish Srivastava)
Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh,Oct 26, 2026 12:46 IST
At least three vehicles in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s convoy collided on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district on Monday as he travelled from Lucknow to appear before a special MP/MLA court for the verdict in a 2018 criminal defamation case.
Gandhi’s car was not involved in the collision and remained safe.
The incident took place near the 89.5-km mark of the expressway, within the jurisdiction of the Haliyapur police station.
The vehicles that collided were travelling behind the Congress leader’s car.
The collision occurred around 10.15 am when a private vehicle belonging to local Congress leaders and travelling at the front of the convoy suddenly braked for an unspecified reason. This caused vehicles behind it to collide with one another, a police officer told PTI.
The convoy soon resumed its journey towards Sultanpur, the officer said. Accompanied by police personnel for security, Gandhi’s convoy was expected to reach the Sultanpur court around 11.15 am for the hearing in the defamation case.
A fleet of cars was seen damaged due to the collision and following them was an ambulance which also got damaged. To those unversed, Rahul Gandhi's convoy always consists of an ambulance.
Further details about the circumstances leading to the collision, including whether anyone was injured or the vehicles sustained damage, were not immediately available.
RAHUL GANDHI’S DEFAMATION CASE
The Sultanpur court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict in a case filed against Gandhi over remarks he reportedly made about then-BJP president Amit Shah during a campaign rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.
BJP leader Vijay Mishra, a former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed the complaint against Gandhi on August 4, 2018.
According to the complainant’s counsel, Santosh Kumar Pandey, Gandhi was required to appear in person before the special MP/MLA court for the pronouncement of the judgment.
The case has been heard over several years. Gandhi surrendered before the court and was granted bail in February 2024. His statement was recorded in July that year, while the court subsequently recorded the testimonies of the complainant and other witnesses.
Arguments in the case began on October 6 and concluded on October 12, 2026. The court scheduled the verdict for October 26 afternoon.
Security arrangements were made at the court premises ahead of Gandhi’s expected arrival. Sultanpur Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal said adequate police personnel would be deployed to maintain security.
The collision involving vehicles in Gandhi’s convoy occurred as the Congress leader travelled to Sultanpur for the court proceedings.
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