A Hathras MP-MLA court on Friday recorded statements of two witnesses in a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The case was filed by three youths acquitted in the 2020 case. They alleged that Gandhi defamed them by calling them “accused” after their acquittal
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. File pic
A local MP-MLA court in Hathras on Friday recorded statements of two witnesses in a defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, news agency PTI reported. The statements were recorded for allegedly calling three acquitted youths "accused" in the 2020 Hathras 'gang rape' case.
The district court fixed October 27 as the next date for evidence submission, a lawyer representing the three acquitted youths said.
Appearing on behalf of complainant Luv Kush, witnesses Dhruv Sisodia and Jagbir deposed before Judge Deepak Nath Saraswati and recorded their statements on Friday, reported PTI.
Advocate Muna Sing Pundhir, while speaking on the case, said, "The evidence in Luv Kush's case was recorded today. Evidence in the cases of the other two youths, Ravi and Ram Kumar, has already been completed. The next date has been fixed for October 27, after which notice will be issued to Rahul Gandhi (sic)."
Pundhir further said that three separate cases had been filed on behalf of Ravi, Ram Kumar alias Ramu and Luv Kush against Gandhi after he allegedly made remarks in Bulgadhi village on December 12, 2024, stating that "the accused are roaming free while the victim's family is locked inside the house".
The lawyer said this statement was "defamatory and insulting" to the youths, who had been acquitted by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court after spending over two-and-a-half years in jail.
The advocate further said, "A legal notice of Rs 1.5 crore was sent to Rahul Gandhi demanding Rs 50 lakh each for the three."
In 2023, a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe special court on March 2 exonerated three of the four accused in the case of the 2020 'gang rape' and torture of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. Initially, none of the accused was found guilty of gang rape.
A few months after the trial started, four men of the victim's village were accused of committing the crime; however, following a CBI probe, three of them: Ramkumar, Luvkush and Ravi were acquitted by the court, while Sandeep was found guilty and is still in jail serving the punishment.
(With PTI inputs)
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