Varanasi:
A complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was filed in a court here on Monday over his alleged remarks at a US university describing Lord Ram as a mythological and fictional figure, demanding that an FIR be lodged under the relevant penal provisions.
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has also been named as a party in the case. The court has scheduled a hearing on May 19.
Advocate Harishankar Pandey, who filed the complaint, alleged that Mr Gandhi made the controversial remarks during an address at the Brown University in Boston, United States on April 21, and termed it a “hate speech” that hurt the sentiments of “Sanatanis”.
Mr Pandey said he came across Mr Gandhi’s statement through a local newspaper.
According to the complaint, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha referred to Lord Ram and stories from that era as mythological and imaginary. The complaint was filed at the MP-MLA court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neeraj Kumar Tripathi.
Mr Pandey said the court accepted the complaint and fixed May 19 for the hearing.
Notices will be sent to Mr Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, a resident of Varanasi, he added.
In his complaint, Mr Pandey said Mr Gandhi should be summoned to face punishment for the offences committed under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race etc), 351 (criminal intimidation), 353 (statement conducing public mischief) and 356 (defamation).
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
