Rahul Gandhi moves HC against Varanasi court order on alleged objectionable remarks

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has approached the Allahabad High Court against an order of a special MP-MLA court of Varanasi that had directed a subordinate court to hear afresh an application seeking registration of an FIR against him for his statement on Sikhs made during a 2024 US visit.

The matter is listed before a single Bench of Justice Sameer Jain for hearing on September 1.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM MP-MLA), Varanasi, had on November 28, 2024, rejected the application filed by Nageshwar Mishra seeking registration of FIR against Gandhi, observing that as the speech was given in the US, the matter is outside its jurisdiction.

This order was challenged by Rao before the sessions court and the court of Special Judge (MP/MLA) on July 21, 2025, directed the ACJM to hear the matter afresh.

Now, Gandhi has filed a revision petition in the Allahabad High Court against this decision. It has been argued that the order of the special court is “wrong, illegal and without jurisdiction”.

During a programme in the US in September 2024, Rahul Gandhi had allegedly said that the environment in India is not good for Sikhs. The remarks were dubbed as “provocative and divisive” and there were protests against it.

Varanasi resident Nageshwar Mishra had tried to get an FIR registered against Gandhi over this statement at the Sarnath police station of Varanasi, but when he did not succeed, he filed the application in court against the Congress leader.