Varanasi court dismisses plea against Rahul Gandhi over remarks on Lord Ram

Varanasi: An MP-MLA court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged remarks on Lord Ram during a speech at a US university last month.

Advocate Harishankar Pandey, who filed the petition, said that his plea was rejected by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neeraj Kumar Tripathi, who deemed it "non-maintainable".

The court cited that as per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, prior permission from the central or state government, or the district magistrate, is mandatory in such cases, Pandey said.

The lawyer said he would now seek permission from the district magistrate and file the petition again.

A complaint in the matter was filed in the court on May 12 with Pandey alleging that Gandhi during his speech at Brown University had described Lord Ram as a "mythological and fictional figure". Pandey also demanded that an FIR be lodged under the relevant penal provisions.

Pandey had termed it a "hate speech" that hurt the sentiments of "Sanatanis".