The Allahabad High Court is set to hear a plea from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, challenging an order from the special judge (MP-MLA) court in Varanasi. The lower court had referred an application regarding an FIR against Rahul Gandhi to the ACJM court. The case is based on remarks Gandhi made in the United States in 2024 concerning Sikhs.
The hearing is scheduled for today and will be heard by a bench led by Justice Samir Jain. A resident of Varanasi, Nageshwar Mishra, had presented an application to the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (MP-MLA) of Varanasi, which was dismissed on November 28, 2024. The application requested the registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi.
The court had determined that it lacked jurisdiction because the speech in question was delivered in America. After the case was dismissed, Rao appealed to the revision court, which accepted his petition and ordered the ACJM to rehear the case.
The context of this legal matter involves a statement made by Rahul Gandhi in September 2024 during an event in the United States, where he suggested that the atmosphere in India was not favorable for Sikhs. This statement received criticism and was deemed inflammatory and divisive.
Nageshwar Mishra, a resident of Varanasi, first attempted to file an FIR at the Sarnath police station in Varanasi, but was unsuccessful. Consequently, he filed an application in court seeking an FIR against Rahul Gandhi. On November 28, 2024, the judicial magistrate dismissed the application, citing a lack of jurisdiction as the speech took place in America.
Following this, Nageshwar Mishra filed a revision petition in the sessions court, which was approved on July 21, 2025. Rahul Gandhi has now filed a revision petition in the Allahabad High Court, arguing that the Varanasi court’s order is flawed, illegal, and exceeded its jurisdiction.