Rahul Gandhi gets bail over ‘defamatory remarks’ against Amit Shah in 2018

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was granted bail by the MP-MLA court in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa on Wednesday (August 6, 2025) in connection with a defamation case related to alleged remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah made during a rally in 2018.

Mr. Gandhi appeared before the court of Judge Supriya Rani Tigga. He travelled to Chaibasa from Ranchi, arriving by helicopter at the Tata College ground around 10 a.m. After waiting for about 45 minutes at Chaibasa Parishad, he proceeded to the Chaibasa Civil Court.

Rahul Gandhi gets bail from Jharkhand court

Rahul Gandhi gets bail from Jharkhand court over ‘defamatory remarks’ against Amit Shah in 2018 | Video Credit: The Hindu

“The Court had directed Rahul Gandhi ji to appear before the court on August 6. After his personal appearance the court has granted conditional bail to him,” Mr. Gandhi’s advocate, Pranav Daripa, said.

On June 2, Mr. Gandhi had moved the High Court challenging an earlier order of the special court requiring his appearance on June 26. His counsel subsequently informed the High Court on June 10 that Mr. Gandhi would be unable to attend on that date and requested August 6 instead, which the court accepted.

The defamation case was originally filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pratap Kumar in the Chaibasa court on July 9, 2018. It was later transferred to the Special MP-MLA Court in Ranchi in February 2020 on the directions of the Jharkhand High Court, and subsequently reassigned to the MP-MLA Special Court in Chaibasa.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi acquitted in 2018 defamation case over remarks against Amit Shah

In his petition before the magistrate’s court in Chaibasa, Mr. Kumar alleged that Mr. Gandhi’s statements were defamatory and intended to malign the image of Mr. Shah.

Mr. Gandhi had arrived in Jharkhand on Tuesday, along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, to attend the funeral of veteran tribal leader and former Chief Minister Shibu Soren at his ancestral village Nemra in Ramgarh district.

The complainant’s counsel, Vinod Kumar Sahu, told the media that Mr. Gandhi denied having made the alleged statements when asked by the court.

“It does not suit an opposition leader like Rahul Gandhi to lie in court. His speech is still on the Congress website. We have submitted it to the court but he outrightly denied it. The court has granted him bail, now the process of testimony will start. The court has granted him bail on the condition that he will cooperate in the investigation,” Mr. Sahu said.