Rahul Gandhi and the 10 Criminal Defamation Cases Against Him | All You Need to Know

The Gujarat High Court on Friday rejected a plea of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, seeking a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark, by acknowledging the 10 additional criminal defamation cases against him.

Here are the 10 defamation cases against the former Congress president:

1. Case over insulting Savarkar in London, 2023: Satyaki Savarkar, grandson of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar’s brother, filed a criminal defamation complaint against Gandhi over his remarks about the freedom fighter on April 12, 2023. The Congress leader, during his London visit in March, had said: “So, if five people beat up a Muslim man and one person is experiencing happiness, then this is cowardice. If you want to fight then go fight on your own. But no, five to six people along with Savarkar went to beat up the man.” Satyaki called this statement an “insult” as the incident is “imaginary”.
2. Case over another Savarkar remark case, 2022: Thane police had registered a defamation case against Gandhi for his remarks against Savarkar in November 2022 against a complaint made by Vandana Dongre, a leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Gandhi, while displaying a copy of the alleged mercy petition signed by Savarkar urging Britishers to release him, during ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Maharashtra’s Akola, had said: “I will read the last line, which says ‘I beg to remain, Sir, your most obedient servant’ and is signed by VD Savarkar. I will translate this to Hindi – ‘Sir, mein aapka naukar rehna chahta hoon’. I did not write this but Savarkar ji has written.”
3. Modi surname case (two defamation cases), 2019: After the Surat court ruling on March 23, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP and sentenced to two years in prison. He was subsequently granted bail on a Rs 15,000 bond. The case was filed on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for Gandhi’s remark, which hinted at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 2019 at a Lok Sabha election rally in Kolar. He had said: “How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” In this row, BJP leader and Bihar’s former deputy chief minister also filed another complaint against Gandhi in Patna. The Patna court granted bail to the Congress leader on July 6, 2019.
4. Linking RSS to Gauri Lankesh murder case, 2019: Dhrutiman Joshi, lawyer and RSS member, in February 2019 registered a criminal defamation case against Gandhi for his remark on the BJP-RSS over late journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder. He had said: “Anybody who speaks against the ideology of the BJP-RSS is pressured, beaten up, attacked and even killed.” On July 4, 2019, the Mumbai court granted him bail on a surety of Rs 15,000.
5. Case over calling Amit Shah ‘murder accused’, 2019: A BJP municipal councillor from Ahmedabad, Krishnavadan Brahmbhatt filed a case in May 2019 against Gandhi for allegedly referring to Amit Shah as a “murder accused”. During a campaign speech on April 23, 2019, in Jabalpur, he had said: “Murder accused BJP chief Amit Shah. Wah, kya shaan hai!” An Ahmedabad court granted him bail in October 2019.
6. Remark against Ahmedabad Bank over demonetisation, 2018: The Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank (ADCB) and its chairman Ajay Patel on August 27, 2018, filed two separate criminal defamation cases against Gandhi and Congress leader Randeep Surjewala for their remarks against the bank in connection to an Right to Information (RTI) filed on demonetisation. Quoting an RTI reply, Gandhi had posted on Twitter: “Congratulations Amit Shah ji, Director, Ahmedabad Dist Cooperative Bank, on your bank winning 1st prize in the conversion of old notes to new… 750 Cr in 5 days! Millions of Indian whose lives were destroyed by Demonetisation, salute your achievement….THE DIRECTOR of the bank that collected the highest number of demonetised notes.” An Ahmedabad court granted him bail on July 12, 2019.
7. Rafale remark case, 2018: In November 2018, BJP leader Mahesh Shrishrimal filed a defamation complaint against Gandhi’s “commander-in-thief” remark targeting Prime Minister Modi during the Rafale controversy. Gandhi, while citing a French publication’s report on the Rafale dealings, had tweeted: “The sad truth about India’s commander-in-thief.” The matter is pending before a court.
8. Two more defamation cases for calling Amit Shah ‘murder accused’ in Jharkhand, 2018 and 2021: Two defamation cases were filed – one in Chaibasa district and another in Ranchi by BJP workers Pratap Katiyar in 2018 and Naveen Jha in May 2023. In 2019, Gandhi made a controversial speech in Jharkhand during a Congress convention and once again targeted Shah: “Congress BJP ki tarah hatyare ko party adhyaksh nahin sweekaregi.” The matter is pending before a court.
9. Mahatma Gandhi killing case, 2015: Rajesh Kunte, an RSS worker from Bhiwandi, filed a criminal defamation case against Gandhi for allegedly linking the RSS with Mahatma Gandhi’s killing. At a protest in Thane in March 6, 2014, he had said: “The RSS people killed Gandhiji and, today, their people talk of him… They opposed Sardar Patel and Gandhiji.” He had retracted his allegation before the Supreme Court, claiming that he did not intend to accuse the entire RSS of assassinating Mahatma Gandhi when the Bombay HC in May 2015 dismissed his plea to quash the case. In November 2016, a Maharashtra court granted him bail.
10. Defamation case over allegations against RSS-BJP in Assam, 2015: In December 2015, RSS volunteer Anjan Bora, filed a criminal defamation case against Gandhi in Assam over his allegations that the RSS did not allow him to enter Barpeta Satra. During a Congress protest, Gandhi had told the media: “When I went to Assam, I wanted to visit a temple in Barpeta district. RSS people stopped me from entering the temple. This is the way the BJP operates.” In September 2016, a Guwahati court granted him bail.