Rahul Gandhi acquitted in 2018 defamation case over remarks against Amit Shah

A Madhya Pradesh/MLA court in Sultanpur district on Monday (October 26, 2026) acquitted the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in 2018 defamation case over remarks against Union Home Minister and then BJP president Amit Shah.

The MP-MLA Court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, has acquitted Mr. Gandhi in a defamation case related to a 2018 remark against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “A defamation lawsuit related to a remark made in Bengaluru during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections. Judge Shubham Verma of the special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur dismissed the case, granting relief to Rahul Gandhi,” said Kunwar Singh Nishad, Chairman, Media Department, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee.

Mr. Gandhi appeared before the court in 2023 and secured bail. The court had earlier fixed October 13 for pronouncing its verdict, which was subsequently scheduled for October 26.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Gandhi arrived at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport this morning. Hundreds of Congress workers and local party leaders gathered at the airport to welcome the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Raebareli MP.

Mr. Gandhi did not speak to reporters before leaving for Sultanpur.

While the Congress leader was heading to Sultanpur, his convoy collided on the Purvanchal Expressway on Monday (October 26, 2026) while he was on his way to Sultanpur for a court hearing in a defamation case against him, a police officer said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was safe, the officer said, adding the incident was not serious and no major injuries were reported.

The incident occurred around 10.15 a.m. when a private vehicle at the front of the convoy, belonging to local Congress leaders, suddenly applied the brakes for an unspecified reason, causing vehicles behind it to collide with one another, the officer said.