Supreme Court rebukes Rahul Gandhi over comments on Indian Army; Urges use of Parliamentary forum

Rahul Gandhi had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the government’s decision. A bench consisting of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant, asking for their response.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court strongly criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments on the Indian Army. The court said, "If you are a true Indian, you will not say such things." It then asked Rahul Gandhi how he knew that 2000 square kilometers of land had been occupied by China. The court questioned whether he was present there or had a reliable source for this information.

The Supreme Court also told Rahul Gandhi that as the leader of the opposition, he should express his views in Parliament, not on social media.

Rahul Gandhi had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the government's decision. A bench consisting of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant, asking for their response.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Rahul Gandhi, said it would be unfortunate if opposition leaders couldn't raise issues.

"If he can't say what is published in the press, he can't be the leader of the opposition," Singhvi stated. He also said, "It is also possible that a true Indian will say that 20 of our Indian soldiers were beaten and killed. This is also a matter of concern."

The top court said Rahul Gandhi had the right forum to express his views. It added, "When there is a cross-border conflict, is it unusual for there to be casualties on both sides? "Singhvi said Rahul Gandhi was only talking about giving proper information and raising concerns over suppression of information. Justice Datta said that as a responsible opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi should not have made these remarks since there was a proper forum to raise such questions.

Agreeing that Rahul Gandhi could have commented better, Singhvi said the complaint was nothing but an attempt to harass the petitioner. He cited Section 223 of the Indian Civil Protection Code and said that before the court takes cognizance of a criminal complaint, the accused must have a prior hearing, which was not done in this case.

The Supreme Court also stayed the proceedings in a district court against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the Indian Army during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The Allahabad High Court had dismissed Rahul Gandhi's plea on May 29. Rahul Gandhi had then challenged the summoning order and the complaint, saying it was malicious and registered without proper grounds.