Today, on 19th January,Congress leader Rahul Gandhi skipped the Sultanpur MP-MLA court on January 19, 2026 in a defamation case. His counsel said he was in Kerala, prompting the court to list February 20 for recording his statement at next hearing date.
UTTAR PREDESH: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi did not attend the MP-MLA court in Sultanpur on Monday (January 19, 2026) regarding a defamation case filed against him. Consequently, the court has scheduled the next hearing for February 20, according to a lawyer involved in the case.
Mr. Gandhi, the MP for Raebareli, was expected to provide his statement in court. However, his lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, informed the court that the Congress leader was unable to be present as he was in Kerala.
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Acknowledging this information, MP-MLA court judge Shubham Verma granted Mr. Gandhi a final opportunity to attend in person and set February 20 for further proceedings.
Mr. Shukla later told reporters that Mr. Gandhi was unable to attend due to a prior commitment in Kerala and is expected to be present on the next date.
The defamation case was initiated in October 2018 by local BJP member Vijay Mishra, from the Hanumanganj area in Kotwali Dehat, Sultanpur district. Mr. Mishra alleged that during his campaign in Karnataka in August 2018, Mr. Gandhi made derogatory remarks about then BJP president Amit Shah.
The legal proceedings have been ongoing for several years. In December 2023, a warrant was issued against Mr. Gandhi for failing to appear in court. He subsequently surrendered on February 20, 2024, and a special magistrate granted him bail with two bonds of Rs. 25,000 each.
On July 26, 2024, Mr. Gandhi recorded his statement, denied the allegations, and labeled the case as politically motivated. Following his statement, the court instructed the complainant’s side to present evidence, and witnesses have since been examined.
Complainant’s counsel Santosh Kumar Pandey noted that witness Ram Chandra Dubey was examined on January 6 and subjected to cross-examination by the defense. He added that Mr. Gandhi will now need to personally appear to record his statement under Section 313 of the CrPC on the next hearing date.
The complaint was lodged in 2018 by Vijay Mishra, a BJP functionary from Sultanpur, alleging that remarks made by Rahul Gandhi at a public event defamed Amit Shah and damaged his reputation, thereby constituting an offence of criminal defamation under the Indian Penal Code.
Owing to Gandhi’s prominent political position and the nature of the allegations, the proceedings have attracted wide public and legal scrutiny, prompting larger debates on the limits of free expression, political speech, and the scope of criminal defamation in India.
The court instructed Rahul Gandhi to be present in person on February 20, 2026, for recording his statement, clearly warning that any failure to comply on the next date may result in coercive action in accordance with law.