Sultanpur (UP) | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was acquitted by a special MP-MLA court here on Monday in a defamation case related to his remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah in 2018.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Raebareli MP, appeared before the court for the pronouncement of the verdict.

Plaintiff Vijay Mishra's lawyer Santosh Pandey said Gandhi has been acquitted by the court.

Congress workers celebrated the verdict outside the court complex with beating of drums and distributing sweets among themselves.

Security arrangements had been strengthened in Sultanpur, particularly around the court complex, in view of the proceedings, police officials said.

The case relates to the remarks made by Gandhi against Shah at a rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.

Mishra, a local BJP leader and former chairman of the District Cooperative Bank in Sultanpur, filed the defamation complaint against Gandhi on August 4, 2018.

Gandhi appeared before the court in 2023 and secured bail. The court had earlier fixed October 13 for pronouncing its verdict, which was subsequently scheduled for October 26.