Convoy Accident on Purvanchal Expressway; Rahul Gandhi Safe

Vehicles travelling in Rahul Gandhi's convoy collided on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday, injuring several people. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is safe.

The crash happened near the 91st kilometre marker in the Haliyapur area. Five convoy vehicles and one ambulance were involved. The injured include party workers, officials and security personnel.

The total number of people injured and the extent of their injuries are still unknown.

Rahul Gandhi was in Uttar Pradesh for a visit on Monday, the day he was required to appear before a special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur. The case involves a defamation charge linked to alleged objectionable remarks about Amit Shah, then BJP president and now Union Home Minister. The comments were allegedly made during a 2018 election rally in Bengaluru ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls.

The complaint was registered by Vijay Mishra, a BJP leader and former president of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank. The special court has been hearing the matter since the complaint was filed.

The court was set to deliver its judgment on Monday. The complainant's counsel, Santosh Kumar Pandey, stated that Gandhi must be physically present for the verdict. Additional Civil Judge Shubham Verma had previously scheduled the verdict for October 13.

Sultanpur Police Superintendent Vineet Jaiswal said Gandhi was expected to travel by road from Lucknow and arrive in Sultanpur by 10 a.m., according to his programme.

Police have made arrangements inside and around the court premises, with sufficient personnel posted to maintain law and order during the proceedings.