Rahul Gandhi has filed a revision petition in the Allahabad High Court against a Varanasi special court’s order directing a lower court to rehear a plea for FIR registration over his 2024 remarks on Sikhs.
The initial plea, filed by Varanasi resident Nageshwar Mishra, was rejected on jurisdiction grounds, but the special MP/MLA court later overturned this decision.
Gandhi’s counsel argues that the remarks were made abroad and fall outside Indian jurisdiction; the High Court will hear the matter on September 1.
Rahul Gandhi Moves Allahabad High Court Against Varanasi Order On Sikh Remarks
Congress leader challenges directive for fresh hearing on plea seeking FIR over his 2024 US speech, calling the order “illegal and without jurisdiction.”
Summary
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has approached the Allahabad High Court challenging a Varanasi court’s decision to reopen a plea seeking registration of an FIR against him over his remarks on Sikhs, made during a public programme in the United States in September 2024.
The case stems from Gandhi’s statement, where he allegedly said that the environment in India was “not good for Sikhs,” a comment that triggered protests and was criticised as “provocative and divisive.”
A local resident, Nageshwar Mishra, had initially sought an FIR at the Sarnath police station in Varanasi but, after being unsuccessful, moved court. In November 2024, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM, MP-MLA court) rejected the plea, holding that the matter was outside its jurisdiction since the speech was delivered abroad.
However, in July 2025, the special MP/MLA court in Varanasi overturned that decision, directing the ACJM to hear the application afresh.
Challenging this directive, Gandhi’s legal team filed a revision petition in the Allahabad High Court, arguing that the special court’s order was “wrong, illegal and without jurisdiction.”
The matter has been listed before Justice Sameer Jain for hearing on September 1. The outcome will determine whether fresh proceedings are initiated against Gandhi or whether the case is set aside on jurisdictional grounds.
The controversy adds another layer of legal scrutiny for the Congress leader, who has faced multiple defamation and speech-related cases in recent years. With political stakes high ahead of upcoming state elections, the matter also underscores the widening legal challenges against opposition leaders in India’s charged political climate
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