Varanasi court rejects petition seeking to file a case against Rahul Gandhi for his comments on the condition of Sikhs. The court dismissed the plea, stating no grounds for legal action.

A Varanasi court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking the registration of an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made during his recent visit to the United States about the condition of Sikhs in India.
The petition, filed by Nageshwar Mishra, claimed that Gandhi made provocative statements during his Washington DC speech on September 10, where he allegedly suggested that Sikhs in India face an environment of insecurity. Gandhi stated, “The fight is about if a Sikh is allowed to wear a turban in India, or whether a Sikh is allowed to wear a kara in India, or if a Sikh is going to be able to go to Gurdwara. That’s what the fight is about. And this is for all religions.”
In response, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neeraj Kumar Tripathi noted that under Section 208 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), any alleged offense committed outside India could not be investigated or prosecuted in India without prior approval from the Central Government. The court emphasized that since Gandhi’s speech was made outside India, it did not meet the legal criteria to initiate an inquiry.
The plea also referred to Gandhi’s earlier speech at a rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on December 14, 2019, alleging that it led to the Shaheen Bagh protests, which escalated into violence and unrest. However, the court found no substantial link between the events in Delhi and any cognizable offense stemming from Gandhi’s remarks, either in Delhi or the United States.
In its ruling, the court concluded that the plea did not provide sufficient grounds to support the claim of a cognizable offense. Consequently, the petition was rejected, and no further legal action would be taken against Gandhi for his comments on Sikhs.