Lucknow, Nov. 5 -- The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition seeking registration of an FIR against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his alleged controversial remarks about the Sikh community during his visit to the United States in September 2024.
A single-judge bench of Justice Vikram D Chauhan passed the order, rejecting a plea filed by Nageshwar Mishra and others challenging a Varanasi trial court's refusal to order registration of an FIR against the Congress leader.
According to petitioners' counsel Satyendra Kumar Tripathi, Gandhi had questioned whether Sikhs in India were free to wear turbans and kada (steel bracelets) and visit gurdwaras without restrictions.
Objecting to the remarks, Mishra, a former village head and social worker, initiated legal proceedings against Gandhi.
The petitioners had first approached the authorities under Section 173(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. After the trial court rejected their application, they moved the High Court seeking an investigation, invoking Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
They also cited Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's alleged endorsement of Gandhi's remarks a day later to support their demand for criminal proceedings.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court dismissed the petition.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.