A special court here on Saturday issued notice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on a revision petition filed in a defamation case against him.
Hearing deferred to October 15
The hearing was scheduled for Saturday but it could not take place as the judicial officer was not holding court, said Munna Singh Pundhir, advocate of the complainants.
The case will now be heard on October 15, he said.
In the previous hearing, the court had accepted the serving of notice issued to Gandhi, he said.
The MP-MLA court presided over by Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division) Deepak Nath Saraswati had dismissed the complaint filed against Gandhi in its order on May 13. Following the admission of the revision petition, the matter is now being heard in the court of Additional District Judge (MP-MLA Court No. 5) Vijay Kumar II.
Background to the Hathras case
A Dalit girl from Boolgarhi village in Hathras was allegedly gangraped in September 2020. She died days later during treatment at a hospital in Delhi.
Four men of her village were accused of committing the crime. Three of them were acquitted, while one was found guilty and is still in jail.
According to Pundhir, during a visit to Boolgarhi village on December 12, 2024, Gandhi allegedly stated that the rapist accused were "roaming free" while the victim's family remained confined to their home.
Complainants allege defamatory remarks
Pundhir claimed the remarks were defamatory as the three men had been acquitted of rape charges following a CBI investigation and a trial that lasted over two-and-a-half years.
The complainants had earlier served a legal notice on Gandhi seeking damages of Rs 1.5 crore, Rs 50 lakh each for the three acquitted men, before filing the criminal defamation complaint, the lawyer said.