Rahul Gandhi Served Notice in Defamation Case Over Hathras Rape Remarks

New Delhi: A notice was served on the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over a defamation case over the 2020 Hathras rape case remarks, the complainant's lawyer said on Tuesday.

The notice came in the name of Additional District Judge of MP/MLA Court No. 5, Vijay Kumar Dwivedi, following a hearing of a revision petition by the courts on 15th July.

In Tuesday's hearing, the court was told that the notice had been served upon Gandhi and was received by him, said the lawyer for the complainants, Munna Singh Pundhir. The court has set September 19 as the date for the next hearing.

Pundhir is Ravi, Ram Kumar alias Ramu and Lav Kush, the three men convicted of rape who were acquitted in the Boolgarhi rape case.

An Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division) of the MP/MLA Court granted leave to the complainants to revise the order of dismissal of the defamation complaint against Gandhi. The order was passed by the Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division) of the MP/MLA Court on May 13. The Additional District Judge directed that the petition be heard on July 15.

The case involves the alleged gang rape of a Dalit woman from Boolgarhi village in Hathras in September 2020. The woman died days later while receiving treatment at a Delhi hospital.

Four accused from the village were named in the case. Three, including Ram Kumar, Lav Kush and Ravi, were acquitted. The fourth, Sandeep, was found guilty and remains in jail.

Pundhir said that Gandhi had visited Boolgarhi village on 12 December 2024 and allegedly said that the accused were ‘roaming free’ and the victim’s family were ‘confined to their house’.

Pundhir said the remarks were defamatory because the three men had been acquitted of rape charges after a CBI investigation and a trial that spanned more than two years.

The complainants had likewise sent Gandhi a legal notice for ₹1.5 crore before filing a criminal defamation complaint. The amount was for ₹50 lakh each of the three men who had been acquitted, the lawyer said.