An MP-MLA court here on Wednesday set aside a lower court order dismissing a complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged remarks at a US university describing Lord Ram as a mythological and fictional figure.
According to the complainant, Rahul had referred to Lord Ram as a mythological figure while describing him as a symbol of compassion, forgiveness and righteousness.
The complaint alleged that the remarks hurt the religious sentiments of millions of Hindus.
Advocate Harishankar Pandey, associated with the case, said the complaint relates to the statement allegedly made by Rahul during an event in Brown University, Boston, in 2025.
Pandey said the complaint was earlier dismissed by an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court in Varanasi on the ground that the alleged statement had been made abroad and, therefore, prosecution would require prior sanction from the Central government.
Hearing a revision petition against the order, MP-MLA court judge Yajurved Vikram Singh set aside the lower court’s decision and held that prior sanction from the Central government was not required at the stage of filing or entertaining the complaint, Pandey said.
The court observed that while Rahul is a Member of Parliament, he does not fall within the category of public servants for whom special prosecution sanction is mandatory in such circumstances, he added.
The judge held that the complaint could not be rejected on technical grounds and directed the lower court to reconsider the matter and pass an order in accordance with the facts and applicable law.
The case will now be heard afresh by the lower court. – PTI
