Key Takeaways
- Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, was acquitted in a defamation case.
- The acquittal comes amid a united opposition campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Gandhi was accused of calling India’s Home Minister Amit Shah a ‘murder accused’ during a state election campaign speech.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, was acquitted in a defamation case by a local court on Monday, according to TV channels.
The acquittal is significant as Gandhi is currently leading a united opposition campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Election Commissioner over a controversial revision of voter lists.
Gandhi, 56, is the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty and the top leader of Congress, which has mostly ruled India since independence from the British.
During a state election campaign speech in 2018, Gandhi was accused of calling India’s powerful Home Minister Amit Shah, who was then head of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a ‘murder accused’.
The case was filed in Sultanpur town of Uttar Pradesh state by a BJP member and the verdict was announced on Monday.
Gandhi was in court in the northern town of Sultanpur when the verdict was pronounced, and his supporters celebrated outside the courthouse.
Images on TV showed supporters bursting crackers, beating drums, and waving party flags as Gandhi left the court after the acquittal.
This acquittal follows a separate 2023 case where a court in Modi’s home state of Gujarat had convicted Gandhi in a defamation case over a ‘Modi surname’ remark, which briefly cost him his seat in parliament.
