Additional District Judge (ADJ-II) Aarti Faujdar set July 18 as the next hearing owing to the absence of Gandhi’s lawyer and his junior requested for the next date, petitioner’s counsel Sachin Gupta said.
He said they sought a direction from the court to ensure Gandhi’s presence in court.
During the inauguration of the Congress’ new headquarters in Delhi on January 15, Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the RSS had captured every institution of the country and said, “We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself.”
Petitioner Simran Gupta, from an outfit called Hindu Shakti Dal, said, “On January 15, Leader of Opposition (in the Lok Sabha) Gandhi, during the inauguration of the Congress’ new headquarters in Delhi, had said that ‘our fight is not only with the RSS and the BJP but also with India state.”
This comment demonstrates disrespect towards the citizens and democracy of the country, the petitioner said. “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 in court.” The court had previously asked Gandhi to appear on April 4 and later extended the date to May 7 for submission of his response.
In the last hearing in May, when Gandhi’s counsel was absent, a junior lawyer sought adjournment, which the court allowed and posted the matter on June 16.
