A Varanasi Court Rejects Request Made By A BJP Member To File An FIR Against Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi

On Thursday, a court in Varanasi rejected a request made by a Bharatiya Janata Party member and advocate named Shashank Shekhar Tripathi to file a First Information Report (FIR) against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The plea was based on allegations that Gandhi's speech at Cambridge University earlier this month was divisive and violated the principles of the Indian Constitution.

The request was made to file a complaint against Gandhi for multiple offenses under the Indian Penal Code. The charges included criminal conspiracy, rioting, promoting enmity, and deliberate and malicious acts. The application was denied by Judge Ujjawal Upadhyay under section 156 CrPC, who ruled that Gandhi's statements fell within the purview of the right to freedom of speech and expression, as guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

According to Tripathi's application, Gandhi's remarks were directed against the nation's unity and sovereignty. Tripathi also claimed that Gandhi equated the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with a terrorist organization called the Muslim Brotherhood, which hurt the sentiments of over 100 million RSS volunteers. Furthermore, the application accused Gandhi of attempting to create divisions among the people of the country based on factors such as religion and caste through his statements, which constituted hate speech.