Allahabad High Court Dismisses Plea Seeking FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Over ‘Indian State’ Remarks

Prayagraj/New Delhi, May 2026 : The Allahabad High Court on Friday dismissed a petition challenging a lower court’s refusal to order the registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi over his controversial remarks about “fighting the Indian state.”

The plea was rejected by a single-judge bench of Justice Vikram D. Chauhan, bringing an end to a legal challenge filed by Simran Gupta of the Hindu Shakti Dal. The petitioner had argued that Gandhi’s statement was “seditious” in nature and had hurt public sentiments across the country.

The controversy stems from remarks allegedly made by the Leader of Opposition during the inauguration of the All India Congress Committee headquarters in New Delhi in January last year. In his speech, Gandhi had said that the Congress was not just fighting the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, but was “now up against the Indian state itself.”

Gupta contended that the statement went beyond political criticism and amounted to an attempt to portray the Indian state as an adversary, thereby undermining national stability. She maintained that such remarks warranted criminal action and sought judicial direction for the registration of an FIR.

The case had earlier been dismissed by a local court in Sambhal, which declined to entertain the request for initiating criminal proceedings. A revision plea challenging that decision was also rejected, prompting the petitioner to approach the High Court.

However, the High Court upheld the earlier rulings, finding no grounds to interfere with the decisions of the lower courts. With this, the court effectively closed the legal route pursued by the petitioner in this matter.

Gandhi’s remarks had sparked a sharp political debate at the time, with leaders from the BJP accusing him of attacking the nation’s constitutional framework. Among the critics was J. P. Nadda, who alleged that the statement reflected an ideological position that was “against the nation itself.”

On the other hand, Gandhi had defended his comments, asserting that his criticism was directed at what he described as the capture of key institutions by ideological forces. He argued that the Congress was engaged in a broader struggle to protect the Constitution and democratic values, rather than targeting the state as an entity.

The issue also saw legal developments beyond Uttar Pradesh. In Assam, an FIR was registered against Gandhi at a police station in Guwahati under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, based on a complaint alleging that his remarks could incite disaffection against the state and threaten national unity.

Separately, the Allahabad High Court had recently dealt with another petition involving Gandhi, where Justice Subhash Vidyarthi recused himself from hearing a plea related to allegations of dual citizenship following controversy over social media posts.

Friday’s ruling, however, specifically addresses the Sambhal case and reinforces the judiciary’s stance on the matter, indicating that Gandhi’s remarks, while politically contentious, do not warrant criminal prosecution under the circumstances presented.

The decision is likely to bring temporary closure to one of the many legal and political controversies surrounding Gandhi, even as the broader debate over the limits of political speech and accountability continues in the public sphere.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)