Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
| Photo Credit: PTI

A court in Sambhal issued a notice on Wednesday (May 7, 2025) to the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his alleged remarks on “fighting the Indian state itself”. The court of Additional District Judge (ADJ-II) Aarti Faujdar issued the notice on a complaint filed by a local, Simran Gupta.

During the inauguration of the Congress’ new headquarters in Delhi on January 15, Mr. Gandhi alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had “captured every institution of the country,” adding, “We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS, and the Indian state itself.”

The complainant, Simran Gupta, is president of the Hindu Shakti Dal. “Rahul Gandhi’s statement deeply hurt the sentiments of people across the country. I had earlier approached the District Magistrate and the SP in Sambhal, but no action was taken. As a result, I filed a case on January 23,” the complainant said.

The court earlier asked the Congress leader to appear on April 4 and later extended the date to May 7 for submission of his response. Owing to his counsel’s absence on Wednesday, a junior lawyer sought a new date, which the court accepted, setting the hearing for June 16.