Indian court books Rahul Gandhi and MPs for religious insult

An Indian court has registered a criminal case against three opposition members of parliament, including the leader of the opposition, for allegedly insulting religious sentiments during a protest on the Parliament campus in New Delhi. The First Information Report was filed at the Kotwali police station in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday, August 1, 2026, against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Independent MP Pappu Yadav, and Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad.

The case stems from a complaint submitted by Jagadguru Balak Das, the head of the Patalpuri Math, on behalf of a group of Hindu religious leaders. The complaint alleges that a skit performed by opposition MPs on Friday, July 31, deliberately mocked religious symbols and hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community. The protest was organized by the INDIA bloc of opposition parties.

During the demonstration, MPs enacted a performance to highlight allegations of embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Donation boxes were placed on the steps leading to the Makar Dwar of Parliament. While other MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, placed money into the boxes, Pappu Yadav, who was dressed in saffron robes, pretended to...