Rahul Gandhi acquitted in Sultanpur defamation case; BJP told to stop 'petty politics'
Synopsis
A special Sultanpur court acquitted Rahul Gandhi in a six-year-old defamation case linked to remarks about Amit Shah, ruling the comments did not constitute defamation. Congress MP Manickam Tagore called it a 'fake case' and alleged over 45 BJP-backed cases are designed to keep the Leader of the Opposition tied up in courtrooms rather than Parliament.
Key Takeaways
Rahul Gandhi was acquitted on 26 October 2026 by a special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh .
The defamation case was filed in 2018 over remarks Gandhi allegedly made about Union Home Minister Amit Shah when he was BJP president.
The court held that Gandhi's remarks did not amount to defamation.
Tamil Nadu Congress President Manickam Tagore called the case a ‘fake case’ filed to waste Gandhi's and the court's time.
Tagore alleged that more than 45 cases have been filed by BJP-affiliated individuals against Gandhi across India.
Gandhi was present in court when the verdict was pronounced.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was acquitted on 26 October 2026 by a special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in a defamation case stemming from allegedly objectionable remarks he made against Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2018, when Shah was serving as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president. The court held that Gandhi's remarks did not amount to defamation, bringing the case to a close at its current stage of proceedings.
The Sultanpur Verdict
Gandhi was present in the courtroom when the verdict was pronounced. The special MP-MLA court's ruling ends a legal proceeding that had been pending for over six years. The case had been filed in 2018 and related to remarks Gandhi allegedly made that the BJP had argued were defamatory toward Amit Shah.
Congress Welcomes the Ruling
Tamil Nadu Congress President and Member of Parliament Manickam Tagore was among the first Congress voices to publicly welcome the verdict, describing the original case as a politically motivated filing designed to consume the opposition leader's time and attention. Tagore characterised the defamation suit as a “fake case” intended to keep Gandhi occupied with court appearances.
“Sultanpur, the fake case which was against Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case which has been registered by the BJP to waste his time as well as the time of the court, the verdict has come. We welcome the verdict, but the BJP and RSS must stop these kinds of things; the right to speech should not be stopped,” Tagore said.
Tagore's Broader Allegation Against BJP
Tagore went further, alleging that more than 45 cases have been filed against Gandhi across India by BJP-affiliated individuals, with the intent of forcing the Rae Bareli MP to travel from one court to another. He argued that these legal proceedings were aimed at intimidating Gandhi and diverting him from his political work.
“Rahul Gandhi is a leader who is not going to be afraid of cases. There are more than 45 cases registered across India by BJP people to make Rahul Gandhi run from one court to another. He is fighting for the people of India; he is fighting for the truth of India; therefore, it's a welcome verdict by the court. We hope that BJP does not engage in such petty politics again,” Tagore added.
What Congress Leaders Are Saying
The acquittal drew wider condemnation of the BJP's legal strategy from across the Congress leadership, who alleged that cases filed against the Leader of the Opposition were designed to distract him rather than secure genuine legal redress. Tagore asserted that Gandhi would not be deterred and would continue to raise issues on behalf of citizens.
Context and What Comes Next
This is not the first time Gandhi has faced legal proceedings that ultimately did not result in a conviction. Notably, a separate defamation case in Surat had previously resulted in a conviction that was later stayed by higher courts. The BJP has not publicly responded to Tagore's remarks or the Sultanpur verdict as of the time of reporting. With the verdict now delivered, Congress is likely to use the acquittal to reinforce its political narrative ahead of upcoming state elections.
Point of View
A narrative that gains traction each time a case against Gandhi collapses. What mainstream coverage tends to underplay is the cumulative cost of contested litigation on any opposition leader's bandwidth: over 45 pending cases, if Tagore's count is accurate, represents a structural drain that no acquittal fully remedies. The BJP, for its part, has yet to articulate a public response, leaving the political framing entirely to Congress — a gap that will only widen the closer India gets to the next electoral cycle.
NationPress
27 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Sultanpur defamation case against Rahul Gandhi?
The case was filed in 2018 in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, over remarks Rahul Gandhi allegedly made about then-BJP president Amit Shah, who is now Union Home Minister. A special MP-MLA court acquitted Gandhi on 26 October 2026, ruling his remarks did not amount to defamation.
Why did Manickam Tagore call the case a 'fake case'?
Congress MP and Tamil Nadu Congress President Manickam Tagore alleged the case was filed by the BJP not on genuine legal grounds but to occupy Gandhi's time and force him to attend court appearances across the country. He claimed more than 45 such cases have been filed against Gandhi by BJP-affiliated individuals.
Was Rahul Gandhi present when the verdict was announced?
Yes, Rahul Gandhi was present in the Sultanpur court when the verdict was pronounced on 26 October 2026. The court's ruling brings the proceedings to a close at the current stage.
What did the Sultanpur court say about Gandhi's remarks?
The special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur held that Rahul Gandhi's remarks did not amount to defamation under the applicable legal standard, resulting in his acquittal and effectively ending the case at this stage of proceedings.
How has the BJP responded to the acquittal?
As of the time of reporting, the BJP had not issued a public statement in response to the Sultanpur court's verdict or to Manickam Tagore's allegations of 'petty politics'.
