Rahul Gandhi to Appear at MP-MLA Court, Sultanpur for Verdict in Defamation Case Involving Amit Shah

Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh: A Special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur is set to pronounce its verdict on October 26 in a defamation case filed against the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his alleged remarks targeting Union Home Minister and then-BJP national president Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.

Confirming the development, Rahul Gandhi's defence counsel, Advocate Kashi Prasad Shukla, stated that the Congress leader will be physically present before the court to attend the proceedings when the judgment is delivered.

"A date has been set for the pronouncement of the judgment in the case involving Rahul Gandhi before the MP-MLA Court tomorrow. Rahul Gandhi will appear in court at 12:00 pm tomorrow to participate in the proceedings, at which point the judgment will be delivered," Shukla told ANI.

Detailing the post-verdict legal protocol, the counsel added, "Following the delivery of the judgment, compliance with Section 437A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) will be carried out. Thereafter, he will proceed to his next scheduled engagement as per his pre-planned itinerary."

Under Section 437A of the CrPC, an accused is required to execute bail bonds with sureties to ensure appearance before higher appellate courts in the event an appeal is preferred against the trial court's verdict. However, CrPC has now been replaced by Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, and under this, the older CrPC Section 437A corresponds to Section 481 of the BNSS.

The defamation complaint stems from a political rally addressed by Rahul Gandhi in Bengaluru during the Karnataka Assembly elections in May 2018.

"The case dates back to the 2018 elections in the state of Karnataka. It is alleged that Rahul Gandhi made an objectionable remark against the then-national president of the BJP, Amit Shah," the defence counsel noted.

The complaint was filed by the then BJP District Vice President, Vijay Mishra.

Speaking to ANI earlier in the day, Mishra said, "I was the vice president of BJP when this incident happened. Rahul Gandhi had accused Amit Shah in Bengaluru of being a murderer. When I heard these allegations, I felt very pained because I am a 33-year-old worker of the party. I filed a complaint regarding this through my lawyer, and this continued for almost 5 years. Today, the decision came in."

Santosh Kumar Pandey, lawyer for Vijay Mishra, said that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi can be given a maximum punishment of 2 years if sufficient evidence is found against him.

"Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a press conference in Bengaluru. About 5 years ago, Amit Shah, who is currently the Home Minister, made objectionable remarks against him. On August 4, 2018, this case was filed in the District and Sessions Court of MP/MLA Court Sultanpur. On which on Monday, Judge Yogesh Kumar Yadav of MP MLA Court Sultanpur has summoned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on December 16. This statement came from Rahul Gandhi during the Karnataka elections in Bengaluru in 2018," Santosh Kumar Pandey told ANI.

He added, "When the information came through social media and TV news channels, the then District Vice President of BJP, Vijay Mishra, had filed a complaint. Statements of three witnesses were taken in the complaint. He (Rahul Gandhi) can be given a maximum punishment of 2 years in this entire case if sufficient evidence is found against him. Either Rahul Gandhi should appear in court and get his bail, or if he does not come, then the court can take action against him."