Varanasi court rejects plea to file a case against Rahul Gandhi for commenting on the plight of Sikhs

In the defense submitted by Nageshwar Mishra, it was claimed that Gandhi made an objectionable statement during his visit to the USA, claiming that there was an atmosphere of insecurity among Sikhs in India.

Rahul Gandhi said in a speech in Washington DC on September 10, Gandhi said,

“The fight is about whether a Sikh is allowed to wear a turban in India, whether a Sikh is allowed to wear kara in India or whether a Sikh can go to a Gurdwara. This is the meaning of struggle. And this is true for all religions.”

Additional Chief Justice Neeraj Kumar TripathiWhile rejecting the plea, he pointed out that under the provision of Article 208 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), an offense allegedly committed outside India cannot be investigated or tried in India without the prior permission of the Central government.