Allahabad High Court Deals Blow to Rahul Gandhi Over Sikh Religious Freedom Remarks

Prayagraj (The Uttam Hindu): The Allahabad High Court has dismissed the petition filed by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, challenging the July 21, 2025, order of the MP/MLA Special Court in Varanasi.

In fact, the MP/MLA Special Court in Varanasi had accepted a review petition against his alleged remarks against the Sikh community. He appealed this order to the Allahabad High Court, but was rebuffed there as well. A single bench of Justice Samir Jain dismissed his petition, delivering its verdict at 2 pm on Friday.

It is worth noting that during his visit to the United States in September 2024, Rahul Gandhi commented on the religious freedom of the Sikh community at an event in Washington, D.C. He reportedly stated that Sikhs in India do not have the freedom to practice their faith (such as wearing a turban and sword), sparking a political controversy. Rahul Gandhi faced widespread backlash for this statement.

Rahul Gandhi had said that members of the Sikh community in India are not allowed to practice their religious beliefs, nor are they allowed to wear turbans or enter gurdwaras.

Senior lawyer and Varanasi resident Nageshwar Mishra, calling the statement inflammatory, filed a petition for an FIR at the Sarnath police station in Varanasi, but the case was not registered. He then filed an application in the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court. However, on November 28, 2024, the ACJM court rejected Mishra's petition.

Nageshwar Mishra then filed a review petition in the Varanasi Sessions Court (MP/MLA Special Court), which the special judge accepted on July 21, 2025, directing the ACJM to rehear the case. Rahul Gandhi challenged this order in the Allahabad High Court, but it was dismissed.