Supreme Court issues notice to Gandhi over journalist’s plea

The Supreme Court on October 27 issued formal notice to Rahul Gandhi and other respondents on an application concerning a journalist’s allegation that he pushed her during an October 12 march to the court. The notice seeks their response; it is not a finding that the alleged conduct occurred. The application asks the court to direct authorities to register a first information report against Gandhi and others and to award compensation to the journalist, Richa Parashar. The Supreme Court has set November 3 to hear the matter, according to one account of the proceedings. Parashar alleges that Gandhi grabbed or pulled her while she was covering the march inside the court premises. She says security personnel then pushed her, causing her to fall, and that she was subsequently hospitalised. The application, as described in court, alleges Gandhi pushed her toward a gate. These are allegations, not findings by the court. The Congress party has denied the allegation. Party leaders and supporters have also questioned whether videos of the incident establish that Gandhi pushed Parashar. The court’s notice does not resolve the dispute. The application was brought in a case already pending...