Indian court sets October 26 verdict in Rahul Gandhi defamation case

A special court handling lawmakers' cases in Sultanpur set October 26 for its verdict in Rahul Gandhi's alleged defamation case. The date was fixed on October 13 after the hearing concluded.

The case concerns the Congress leader's remarks about Amit Shah during an election campaign in Bengaluru in 2018. Shah was then president of the Bharatiya Janata Party and is now India's home minister.

BJP member Vijay Mishra, a former district cooperative bank chairman, filed the complaint on August 4, 2018. The court summoned Gandhi in November 2023. He subsequently appeared and secured bail.

Complainant's lawyer Santosh Kumar Pandey said Gandhi would be required to attend the verdict hearing. Judge Shubham Verma fixed the date. Gandhi represents Raebareli and leads the opposition in the lower house of parliament.

The trial court previously rejected Mishra's request to compare a voice sample from Gandhi. Subsequent applications to higher courts did not change that decision. Setting a verdict date does not mean Gandhi has been found guilty.