Lucknow court to hear sedition case against Rahul Gandhi, others on January 5

A special MP/MLA court has issued notices to the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, KC Venugopal, and Priyanka Gandhi, to file their objections on a complaint filed against them on charges of sedition for allegedly saying ”they were fighting against the Indian state itself”.

Special ACJM Alok Verma of the MP/MLA court has fixed January 5 for the hearing of the case.

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Earlier, on September 9, complainant Nripendra Pandey had filed a complaint in court stating that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, while speaking at the inauguration of the newly constructed Congress headquarters in New Delhi on January 15 last, said, “We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself”—was made knowingly and wilfully against the Indian nation and its constitutional system. It was alleged that Rahul’s statement that he was fighting against India constituted treason and sedition.

The complaint further stated that Rahul Gandhi made the statement in a completely balanced state of mind and after careful consideration. It alleged that Rahul and his allies in the INDIA bloc are repeatedly lying, engaging in criminal conspiracy, and spreading venom against those holding constitutional positions and institutions, thereby pushing the country towards civil war.

The complaint argued that the phrase “Indian State” refers not just to the ruling party but to Parliament, the judiciary, the executive, and the entire constitutional framework, thereby amounting to sedition.

The complaint also stated that Rahul Gandhi had apologised in court several times for his actions. Rahul, who has obtained bail from the court in several cases, made this anti-national statement in the presence of senior Congress leaders. However, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and KC Venugopal did not contradict the statement, the petitioner said.