The present study was conducted to investigate the comparative parasitic ability of root-knot nematode (RKN: Meloidogyne graminicola) in putatively resistant (Suraksha) and susceptible (Pusa 1121) cultivars of rice and to analyse the relative expression level of plant defence genes upon RKN infection in these cultivars. qRT-PCR analyses of RKN infected roots and their corresponding shoots indicated that phytohormone-mediated host defences were activated during early infection in both susceptible and resistant plants, whereas it was apparently suppressed during later stage of infection in susceptible plants. Expression of defence genes in the shoot tissues of resistant plants suggested the successful induction of systemic acquired resistance. In parallel, lignin- and callose-mediated plant basal defence was activated in Suraksha. Information generated on the RKN-induced expression of defence genes in different rice varieties can be exploited to improve resistance in cultivated species of rice to RKN infection.