Complaint Filed Against Rahul Gandhi Over Remarks on Lord Ram

Varanasi Court to Hear Case on May 19; AICC Also Named in Petition​

Varanasi, May 12 – A local court in Varanasi has received a complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly referring to Lord Ram as a "mythological and fictional figure" during a recent speech at Brown University in the United States. The complaint, which accuses Gandhi of delivering a "hate speech" that hurt religious sentiments, also names the All India Congress Committee (AICC) as a party.

The complaint was filed by advocate Harishankar Pandey at the MP-MLA court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neeraj Kumar Tripathi. Pandey claimed that Gandhi made the remarks during a speech in Boston on April 21, and he came across the comments in a local newspaper.

According to Pandey, the Congress leader described Lord Ram and related stories from the epic era as imaginary, which he argues is deeply offensive to the beliefs of Sanatanis. The complaint has demanded the registration of an FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including:

• Section 196: Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race
• Section 351: Criminal intimidation
• Section 353: Statement conducing to public mischief
• Section 356: Defamation

The court has accepted the complaint and set May 19 as the date for the hearing. Pandey added that notices will be issued to Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, a resident of Varanasi.

The case marks another instance of political controversy stemming from statements made during international engagements, highlighting the sensitivity of religious discourse in Indian politics.