Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, was acquitted of defamation by a local court in the northern town of Sultanpur on Monday, television channels reported, in a case stemming from remarks he made about Home Minister Amit Shah during a state election campaign in 2018.
Gandhi, 56, appeared in court in Sultanpur, in Uttar Pradesh state, when the verdict was announced. Television footage showed supporters celebrating his acquittal outside the court, bursting crackers, beating drums and waving Congress party flags as he left the premises.
The case was brought by a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after Gandhi allegedly referred to Shah, who was then the BJP president, as a “murder accused” during a campaign speech in 2018. The court’s decision clears Gandhi in this particular case, although he has faced other legal proceedings over remarks directed at political opponents.
The acquittal comes as Gandhi leads a united opposition campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Election Commissioner over a controversial revision of India’s voter lists. The proposed changes have drawn scrutiny from opposition parties, which have challenged the process.
Gandhi is a leading figure in the Congress party, which governed India for much of the period following independence from British rule. He is also a member of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, which has played a central role in the party’s history.
The Sultanpur case is separate from another defamation case in Gujarat, Modi’s home state, in which a court convicted Gandhi in 2023 over a remark concerning the “Modi surname”. That conviction briefly cost him his seat in Parliament, highlighting the potential political consequences of defamation proceedings against elected representatives.
The latest ruling comes at a time when Gandhi and Congress are seeking to challenge Modi’s government on electoral and political issues. The party has joined other opposition groups in opposing the revision of voter lists and questioning the role of the election authorities.
Monday’s acquittal relates specifically to the allegations arising from Gandhi’s 2018 remarks about Shah. The separate Gujarat conviction concerned a different statement and legal proceeding.
