Allahabad High Court (L) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
Credit: iStock and PTI
Lucknow: In a setback to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the Allahabad High Court on Friday dismissed his petition challenging the order of a special MP/MLA court in Varanasi accepting a plea against him over his alleged ‘anti-Sikh’ remarks made in the United States of America a year ago.
A bench of Justice Sameer Jain had earlier reserved its verdict in the matter.
Dismissal of Gandhi’s petition by the High Court has paved the way for the hearing of the case against him in the special court dealing with MP/MLA cases in Varanasi.
A Varanasi resident, Nageshwar Mishra, had moved a district court seeking a directive to the police to register an FIR against Gandhi for his alleged ‘anti-Sikh’ remarks made in the US, but the court rejected the application stating that the remarks were made in the US and that it was out of the court’s jurisdiction.
Mishra challenged the order through a revision petition in the special MP/MLA court, which accepted it.
The Congress leader then challenged the order in the Allahabad High Court, which on Friday dismissed his petition.
According to the complainant, Rahul had, during his US visit in 2024, said that the Sikhs were not allowed to wear ‘turban’ or ‘kada’ (bracelet) in India and were also not permitted to enter the Gurudwaras.
‘’The fight is if the Sikhs in India are going to be allowed to wear turbans or kadas and allowed to visit Gurudwaras ... and it’s not only for the Sikhs but for all religions,’’ Rahul had allegedly said.