The defamation complaint was filed on 4 August 2018, by Vijay Mishra, a local BJP politician and former chairman of the District Cooperative Bank in Sultanpur. Mishra had alleged that Gandhi’s comments about Shah were defamatory.
The case subsequently proceeded before the MP-MLA court, which handles matters involving elected representatives. Gandhi appeared before the court in 2023 and was granted bail during the proceedings.
The court had initially scheduled the verdict for 13 October, but the date was later deferred to 26 October.
With Monday’s ruling, the court acquitted Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case. The matter had remained pending for several years following the complaint over his remarks during the Karnataka election campaign.
The case was among the legal proceedings arising from political statements made during election campaigns, highlighting the role of courts in adjudicating allegations of defamation involving political leaders.
With PTI inputs
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