Top news of the day: Rahul Gandhi acquitted in 2018 defamation case over remarks against Amit Shah; Supreme Court notice to Centre, ECI on plea against MLAs ‘abandoning’ seats to shift loyalty at public expense, and more

Rahul Gandhi acquitted in 2018 defamation case over remarks against Amit ShahThe MP/MLA court in Sultanpur district on Monday (October 26, 2026) acquitted the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in a 2018 defamation case over remarks against Union Home Minister and then BJP president Amit Shah. “A defamation lawsuit related to a remark made in Bengaluru during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections. Judge Shubham Verma of the special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur dismissed the case, granting relief to Rahul Gandhi,” said Kunwar Singh Nishad, Chairman, Media Department, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee.Supreme Court notice to Centre, ECI on plea against MLAs ‘abandoning’ seats to shift loyalty at public expenseThe Supreme Court on Monday (October 26, 2026) sought the Union government’s response to a plea that MLAs cannot abandon their voters, resign, shift political parties and contest by-elections at the expense of the public exchequer.A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued formal notice to the Centre on the appeal filed by advocate K. Suthan, represented by advocate Merlyn Rachel J.Supreme Court assures no deleted voters will be prosecuted for submitting Form 6The Supreme Court on Monday (October 26, 2026) orally assured that no voter whose name was deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Maharashtra will face prosecution for merely applying for re-registration in the electoral roll by filing Form 6. The oral observations came during a hearing in which the court agreed to urgently take up in November 5, a plea challenging the deletion of voters in the Maharashtra SIR.Former DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi arrested in ₹100-crore private schools fraud caseHours after his anticipatory bail plea was dismissed by the Madras High Court on Monday (October 26, 2026), former DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested by the Chennai police in connection with an alleged multi-crore scam. According to police sources, a special team of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) investigating allegations that several crores of rupees were collected as ‘party fund’ from various private school managements across Tamil Nadu arrested Mr. Poyyamozhi who was the School Education Minister between 2021 and 2026.CMRL pay-off case: Kerala HC stays order to lodge FIR against ex-CM Pinarayi Vijayan, kinThe Kerala High Court on Monday (October 26, 2026) stayed a Single Judge order directing the registration of an FIR against former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his kin in the Cochin Minerals Rutile Limited (CMRL)-Exalogic pay-off case .A Bench of Justices K. Natarajan and Johnson John also kept in abeyance the FIRs registered by the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) and the further probe by the agency in the case till further orders in the appeals filed by Mr. Vijayan and others against the Single judge order.Tell Modi to sack Gyanesh Kumar, protests will stop in 30 seconds: Rahul to tradersDays after a trader’s body urged him to postpone INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally against “vote chori”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (October 26, 2026) asked the traders to tell Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “sack accused no. 4”, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and said the protests will then stop in 30 seconds. “To every trader in Delhi: We love you and hear you. The Government shut the metro, sealed our roads and locked down our capital,” Mr. Gandhi said on X.Kharge’s remark against PM Modi ideological attack, not personal, says Congress general secretary K.C. VenugopalCongress general secretary K.C. Venugopal on Monday (October 26, 2026) defended party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it an ideological, not personal, attack. Responding to a question surrounding the remark, Mr. Venugopal said, “I think Kharge ji means that ideologically. Ideologically, of these Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] people, the parent is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [RSS], and Kharge ji means that only. That’s what I understood. Who represents that ideology? The RSS. That’s what Kharge ji means. You see, what did they do against Kharge ji? Purification exercise. He [Kharge] comes from a marginalised background; he went for a program, and after the program, a purification exercise was done. What does it mean?”Supreme Court refuses to ease bail condition for Delhi riots accused to attend law classes in GhaziabadThe Supreme Court on Monday (October 26, 2026) refused to relax a bail condition barring Shadab Ahmad, an accused in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots, from leaving the national capital to attend law classes at a university in Ghaziabad. A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi declined his plea to modify the condition requiring him to remain in Delhi during the trial. “This we will not modify... We know why you joined that law college, leaving out all the law colleges inside Delhi,” the Bench said.Left leaders hail Lula’s fourth win in Brazil, say it offers hope to workers’ movementsLeaders from Left parties on Monday (October 26, 2026) congratulated Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his historic fourth presidential win, with CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby saying it offers hope to people’s movements fighting for workers’ rights. Mr. Lula da Silva, a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, was re-elected on Sunday (October 25, 2026) in a result that offers relief to critics of expanding U.S. influence in Latin America. With 100% of the votes counted, Brazil’s electoral court announced that the soon-to-be 81-year-old Mr. Lula had secured an unassailable lead of nearly 4.4 million votes over his opponent Flávio Bolsonaro.Pakistan’s Punjab government extends detention of Imran Khan’s sisters by 30 daysThe Punjab government in Pakistan has extended the detention of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s three sisters for another 30 days under a public safety law, an official said on Monday (October 26, 2026). Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Dr. Uzma Khan have been detained at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail for over a month under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960.