Hathras: A district court in Hathras has issued a notice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with a defamation case linked to the 2020 Boolgarhi incident. The notice was issued by the court of the Additional District Judge (ADJ-V) while hearing a revision petition challenging the dismissal of the original complaint. The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on August 11.
The case stems from the widely reported incident that took place in Boolgarhi village on September 14, 2020. On March 2, 2023, a trial court convicted one accused and sentenced him to life imprisonment, while acquitting three others.
According to the complainants, Rahul Gandhi visited the victim’s family in Boolgarhi on December 12, 2024, where he allegedly referred to the acquitted men as gang rape accused. They also objected to an alleged social media post containing similar remarks.
The three acquitted men—Ramu, Ravi, and Lavkush—subsequently filed a criminal defamation complaint against the Congress leader.
Rahul Gandhi’s counsel had sought dismissal of the complaint, arguing that the allegations were baseless. On May 13, the ACJM (MP/MLA Court) dismissed the defamation complaint, granting relief to Gandhi.
Challenging that order, the complainants filed a revision petition before the district court through their counsel Munna Singh Pundir. Hearing the revision plea, the ADJ-V court has now issued notice to Rahul Gandhi and fixed August 11 as the next date of hearing.
The issuance of the notice is part of the judicial process and does not amount to a finding on the merits of the allegations.
