The Allahabad High Court has on Friday thrown out a petition that sought the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over a contentious remark purportedly made in 2025. Justice Vikram D Chauhan delivered the verdict following a legal challenge mounted by Simran Gupta, a member of the Hindu Shakti Dal.
The case reached the High Court after a local court in Sambhal had previously declined Gupta's request to order the police to file a case against the Leader of the Opposition. The petitioner’s grievance centred on a speech allegedly delivered by Gandhi during the opening of an All India Congress Committee office. According to the petition, Gandhi had remarked that the party was "now fighting the BJP, the RSS, and the Indian State itself."
Gupta argued that such language was seditious and anti-national, claiming it was a deliberate attempt to destabilise the country and had deeply offended public sentiment. However, the High Court remained unconvinced by the plea to criminalise the statement.
The decision follows a lengthy hearing on April 8, during which Justice Chauhan heard detailed arguments from both the petitioner’s legal team and representatives of the state government before reserving his judgement. Also, the court has upheld the lower court's refusal to initiate criminal proceedings over the political commentary.
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