Allahabad High Court dismisses plea for sedition FIR against Rahul Gandhi

The Allahabad High Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his comment that he was in a “fight against the Indian State."

A single-judge Bench comprising Justice Vikram D Chauhan has dismissed a plea challenging a trial court's refusal to order the registration of a criminal case against Rahul Gandhi in the matter.

The controversy originated from a speech delivered by Gandhi on January 15, 2025, during the inauguration of the Congress party's new headquarters, "Indira Bhawan," in New Delhi.  

While addressing party workers, Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the RSS had "captured every single institution" in the country, including the judiciary and the media. He is reported to have stated:

"Do not think we are fighting a fair fight... If you believe we are fighting against a political organisation called BJP and RSS, you have not understood... We are now fighting not just the BJP and RSS, but the Indian state itself."

Following this, Simran Gupta, an office-bearer of Hindu Shakti Dal, filed a complaint alleging that Gandhi’s remarks were seditious and anti-national.

According to her, the statement portrayed the Indian State as an adversary and was intended to destabilise the country. She also contended that the remarks had hurt the sentiments of citizens and undermined national integrity.

An Additional District and Sessions Judge of the Chandausi court (Sambhal) dismissed her plea to register an FIR. The trial court labeled the case as "weak," suggesting that the remarks did not meet the threshold for criminal prosecution

Gupta then moved the High Court to get the FIR registered. This plea has now been dismissed by the High Court.

Order copy awaited.