The Supreme Court has agreed to list journalist Richa Parashar’s application concerning allegations linked to the October 12 Opposition march on October 26. (Img: Pinterest)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to list an application filed by a woman journalist alleging that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi pushed her while she was covering the Opposition’s march to the Court on October 12. The matter is expected to be taken up on October 26.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi agreed to list the application after Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia mentioned the matter. Bhatia also sought clarification on the issuance of notices in connected proceedings, to which the Chief Justice confirmed that notices had been issued in all the matters.
The application concerns allegations by journalist Richa Parashar, who claimed that Gandhi grabbed and pulled her hand while she was reporting on the march within the Supreme Court premises. She has further alleged that security personnel accompanying him pushed her, causing her to fall.
Parashar, who reportedly stated that she was pregnant at the time of the incident, was taken to hospital following the alleged altercation. The Congress has denied the allegations.
The incident occurred on October 12, when Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders marched towards the Supreme Court to submit a petition challenging the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The protest formed part of the Opposition’s campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the voter-list revision exercise.
The march and the subsequent allegations triggered controversy over the conduct of the demonstration within the Court’s premises and the circumstances surrounding the alleged confrontation with the journalist.
The issue had previously been raised before the Supreme Court, with Bhatia drawing the Bench’s attention to reports concerning the alleged incident. The Court had indicated that it could not proceed merely on the basis of an oral mention and that a formal application would be required for the allegations to be considered.
The present application is linked to wider proceedings concerning the October 12 march and petitions seeking directions to regulate protests and processions in the vicinity of judicial premises.
The Supreme Court has issued notices in connected matters. The proposed listing on October 26 will provide an opportunity for the Bench to consider the journalist’s application. The allegations against Gandhi remain disputed and have not been judicially established.
