Rahul Gandhi acquitted in defamation case after 8 years. Congress says' Satyamev Jayate'

Sultanpur MP-MLA court's decision, the atmosphere of celebration among Congress workers; The case was related to the comment on Amit Shah in 2018

Sultanpur / New Delhi. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared before a special MP / MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh in connection with a defamation case filed against him. The court acquitted him of the charges on Monday, October 26. There was jubilation among Congress workers after the verdict in the case related to the alleged objectionable remarks made against the then BJP national president and current Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2018. The party responded by writing 'Satyamev Jayate' on social media platform X.

The verdict in the nearly eight-year-old case is being seen as a major legal relief for the Congress. However, the court's decision is limited to this specific defamation case.

Congress workers celebrate after the court's verdict.

Rahul Gandhi reached the special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur at around 11 am on Monday. Security was tightened in and around the court premises before his arrival. Rahul Gandhi was present in the court when the judgement was pronounced.

As soon as the news of his acquittal came out, there was enthusiasm among the Congress workers. The fans cheered and danced. The message 'Satyamev Jayate' appeared on the party's official X account, which made clear the Congress's reaction to the decision.

What's the whole case?

The case pertains to a defamation complaint filed by BJP leader and former president of the district cooperative bank Vijay Mishra on August 4, 2018. The complainant had alleged that Rahul Gandhi had made objectionable remarks about Amit Shah at a press conference in Bengaluru on May 8, 2018, during the campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections.

Rahul Gandhi had reportedly questioned the BJP leadership while referring to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. Amit Shah was acquitted in the case in 2014. In the complaint filed against Rahul Gandhi's comment, it was described as defamatory.

On November 27, 2023, the court had summoned Rahul Gandhi to face trial. He was produced before the court which granted him bail. During the hearing of the case, the complainant had also demanded that Rahul Gandhi's voice sample be taken and matched. The lower court had dismissed the petition. Subsequently, the orders were challenged in the sessions court and the Allahabad High Court, but no relief was granted.

Now on October 26, 2026, the special MP-MLA court acquitted Rahul Gandhi in the case. The administration had made special security arrangements in view of his personal appearance for the hearing.

The importance of decision-making in the political environment

The political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress over Rahul Gandhi's elevation to the post of Congress president has also intensified. BJP leaders had objected to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's father in Patna on Sunday. The BJP criticised the statement, calling it inappropriate language.

In such a political atmosphere, the decision of the Sultanpur court has come as a relief for the Congress. The party is projecting it as a judicial verdict in favour of its leader, while the legal background of the case has been linked to the remarks made on Amit Shah in 2018.

Meanwhile, the relief from the Sultanpur court has put an end to this long-running defamation case involving Rahul Gandhi. The decision has become a major topic of political discussions amid celebrations by Congress workers and the party's' Satyamev Jayate 'message.