Key facts
- Rahul Gandhi was acquitted in a defamation case on Monday.
- The case was filed by a BJP member in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
- Gandhi was accused of calling Home Minister Amit Shah a "murder accused".
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India's main opposition Congress party, was acquitted on Monday in a defamation case by a local court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, TV channels reported. Gandhi, 56, is a prominent figure of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty and a key leader of the Congress party. His supporters celebrated the verdict with fireworks and music outside the courthouse. The case stemmed from a 2018 election campaign speech where Gandhi allegedly referred to India's Home Minister Amit Shah, then head of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as a "murder accused". This acquittal comes at a time when Gandhi is leading a united opposition campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. In a separate case in 2023, a court in Gujarat had convicted Gandhi over a "Modi surname" remark, which temporarily cost him his parliamentary seat.