Hathras gangrape-linked defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: UP court to hear on Mar 16

Munna Singh Pundhir alleged that Gandhi, during his visit to Boolgarhi village on December 12, 2024, said that the accused were roaming free while the victim's family was confined to their home.

Hathras: An MP-MLA court here on Saturday fixed March 16 as the date of hearing in a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi linked with the Hathras gangrape of 2020, an advocate said.

The complaint alleged that Gandhi made defamatory remarks on December 12, 2024, against three men even after being acquitted of rape charges.

The case refers to the alleged gangrape of a 19-year-old Dalit woman that led to her death in September 2020. She was later cremated in the middle of the night outside the village by the police allegedly against the wishes of her family.

Munna Singh Pundhir, the lawyer representing the three men, said a team of five lawyers from Lucknow and Delhi representing Gandhi arrived in Hathras on Saturday.

They requested the court to provide them with the petition and evidence to file their objections. The court provided these documents to the lawyers. Gandhi's objections will now be presented on March 16.

Pundhir alleged that Gandhi, during his visit to Boolgarhi village on December 12, 2024, said that the accused were roaming free while the victim's family was confined to their home.

The lawyer said that Ravi, Ram Kumar alias Ramu and Lovkush, who were acquitted of rape charges in the case, found the statement defamatory as they had been cleared following a CBI investigation and a trial that lasted over two-and-a-half years, during which they remained in jail.

Pundhir claimed that while one accused named Sandeep was originally named in the case, the three others were falsely implicated at the insistence of the complainant's family.

He said notices were earlier sent to Gandhi seeking a response, but no reply was received, following which the defamation complaint was filed.

He added that a legal notice of Rs 1.5 crore in damages -- Rs 50 lakh each for the three acquitted youths -- had also been served on Gandhi.