A special court in Sultanpur granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra for his remarks against Home Minister Amit Shah in 2018. “He (Rahul Gandhi) surrendered in the court today. He surrendered and the court took him into custody for 30-45 minutes. After that, his bail application was submitted and was accepted (by the court). The further date has not been given yet. His lawyer said that he is innocent and he has not made any defamatory statement,” said Advocate Santosh Pandey, lawyer representing Vijay Mishra. The case was initiated by Mishra on August 4, 2018, against Gandhi for allegedly making objectionable comments against Shah during a press conference in Bengaluru on May 8 of the same year, amidst the Karnataka elections. Gandhi could face a maximum punishment of 2 years if sufficient evidence is found, according to the BJP leader’s lawyer. Due to his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra commitments, Rahul Gandhi missed the previous hearing in the special MP-MLA court on January 18. Earlier, Congress senior leader Jairam Ramesh announced a pause in Rahul Gandhi’s mega yatra due to the court summons. However, he emphasized that the yatra will continue despite the legal proceedings. “The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will not be derailed. Rahul Gandhi will not be silenced. The Indian National Congress will not be intimidated,” he stated on the social media platform ‘X’. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered its 38th day on Tuesday, starting from Fursantganj in Amethi district and proceeding towards Raebareli and Lucknow. Ramesh confirmed that the yatra would resume from Fursatganj at 2 pm, with a public rally scheduled in Raebareli before heading to Lucknow.