Hathras: A defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with remarks made about acquitted persons in the Hathras Boolgarhi rape case has gained fresh momentum after a revision petition was admitted by a court, with the next hearing scheduled for July 15.
The court admitted the plea on Monday and ordered on Tuesday the next date of hearing, a case lawyer said.
The MP/MLA Court of Additional District Judge Vijay Kumar II will hear the revision plea after it was accepted against the May 13 order of Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division) Deepak Nath Saraswati, who had dismissed the complaint against Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha.
The case is linked to the 2020 Boolgarhi incident, in which three men — Ravi, Ram Kumar alias Ramu and Lavkush — were acquitted of rape charges. Their advocate Munna Singh Pundir said the revision petition was filed on behalf of Ram Kumar alias Ramu against the lower court order.
According to Pundir, the three men were initially not named in the case but were later implicated based on the allegations of the complainant’s family. The matter was investigated by the CBI and the trial continued for nearly two-and-a-half years, during which the three accused remained in jail before being acquitted.
The lawyer claimed that during Gandhi’s visit to Boolgarhi village on December 12, 2024, he had made remarks that the accused were roaming free while the victim’s family was confined to their house. Pundir said the statement was considered defamatory by the acquitted men.
Following this, a legal notice seeking Rs 1.5 crore in damages was sent to Gandhi on behalf of the three men, demanding Rs 50 lakh each. Later, a complaint was filed before the ACJM court.
Pundir said the revision plea has now been admitted and the matter will come up before the Additional District Judge, MP/MLA Court No. 5, on July 15.
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