Allahabad High Court Rejects FIR Plea Against Rahul Gandhi

The Allahabad High Court on November 5 dismissed Nageshwar Mishra’s plea seeking an order for police to register a First Information Report against Rahul Gandhi over reported remarks concerning Sikhs. Justice Vikram D. Chauhan ruled that the speech, as described in the complaint, did not establish a cognizable offence warranting an FIR. The court said Gandhi, an elected representative, had the right to raise concerns about a minority community and that such speech was protected by the constitutional freedom of speech and expression. It said questioning the rights of minorities did not, by itself, amount to an offence, and that disagreement with Gandhi’s remarks was not sufficient grounds for criminal proceedings. The plea followed earlier efforts in Varanasi to have a case registered. A magistrate rejected Mishra’s application, and a revision petition was also dismissed before the matter reached the High Court. The accounts of those earlier proceedings differ in some procedural details, but the High Court’s dismissal of the plea is consistent. The allegations concerned comments Gandhi reportedly made during a 2024 visit to the United States. Media accounts attributed to him...