Overview
- India’s Allahabad High Court, ruling Friday, dismissed Simran Gupta’s challenge to a Sambhal court’s refusal to order a police case against Rahul Gandhi.
- Gupta of the Hindu Shakti Dal argued Gandhi’s January 2025 line about “fighting the Indian State” was seditious and sought a first information report, the document that triggers a criminal investigation.
- Justice Vikram D. Chauhan said criticism of government action is protected speech and that saying “fight” in politics signals advocacy rather than a call to rebellion.
- The court found no material showing incitement to secession or violence and noted that suspicion alone cannot justify criminal prosecution.
- A separate FIR filed in Guwahati over the same remarks remains on record under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, keeping the legal and political dispute active.