Akhilesh behind 2011 'rape' case against Rahul?

A lawyer yesterday told the Supreme Court that a 2011 rape and wrongful confinement case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Allahabad High Court was filed at the instance of Akhilesh Yadav, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

An apex court bench of Justice BS Chauhan and Justice Swatanter Kumar was told this by counsel Kamini Jaiswal in the course of the hearing of a petition by former Samajwadi Party MLA Kishore Samrite who has challenged a high court order directing a CBI probe against him and imposing a cost of Rs 50 lakh.

Earlier this year, Gandhi had urged the Supreme Court to dismiss a plea against the Allahabad High Court order absolving him of allegations that he detained and raped a girl in Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress Lok Sabha MP from Amethi had said in his affidavit that he was not in a position to make a statement as to what transpired in the high court. However, the allegations "are totally false, frivolous, vexatious and calculated to harm my standing and image".

Gandhi had filed the affidavit in response to the notice issue by the apex court on a petition by Samrite who was slapped with Rs 50 lakh cost by the high court for levelling charges of rape and kidnapping against him.