The Samajwadi Party has issued a legal notice to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, accusing him of defaming Akhilesh Yadav through X posts linking him to an accused without judicial findings. The notice calls the claims false, misleading, and defamatory.
The Samajwadi Party issued a legal notice to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. Dubey is accused of defaming Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav by linking him to one of the accused in the case Ramshankar alias Tinnu Yadav through posts on X.
The notice demands a public apology and warns that civil and criminal action will follow if Dubey does not comply within two weeks.
Issued by advocate Krishan Kanhaya Pal, National President of the Samajwadi Adhivakta Sabha, the notice alleges that Dubey amplified allegedly false, defamatory, and casteist content aimed at Akhilesh Yadav.
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It claims Dubey shared a post originally uploaded on X by user Saravanan Prasad Balasubramanian (@BS_Prasad).
The notice states that the post, made on July 4 at 9:05 pm, contained false, misleading and defamatory allegations against the Samajwadi Party leader without any judicial finding or verifiable evidence. It further alleges that Dubey reposted the content from his verified X account, thereby increasing its reach.
The notice argues that, as a sitting Lok Sabha MP and a senior BJP leader, Dubey holds a constitutional position and enjoys substantial public influence. It states that his statements are likely to be treated as true by party workers and the general public, placing on him a responsibility to exercise restraint and maintain parliamentary dignity rather than circulating unverified claims against political opponents.
According to the notice, Dubey’s repost led to the broad dissemination of alleged misinformation, harming the sentiments of millions of Samajwadi Party supporters and creating an atmosphere that could fuel animosity and unrest in society.
It also alleges that the remarks are defamatory and casteist, asserting that Akhilesh Yadav belongs to the Other Backward Classes (OBC). On that basis, the notice claims Dubey could be held liable for defamation under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in addition to civil liability. Pal, who identifies himself as closely associated with Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party, argues that any attack on Yadav also damages his own reputation as well as that of party workers and office-bearers.
The notice further states that after Pal came across Dubey’s post on July 6, he found that the allegations had been widely viewed by millions of users on X. It claims the content was posted with the sole intent of maligning Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party out of political vendetta.
The notice alleges that the post lowered the standing of both Yadav and the party in the eyes of the public and caused reputational harm to those associated with them. It also accuses Dubey of intentionally promoting hatred toward the Samajwadi Party by sharing the impugned material, describing the act as one meant to incite hostility against the party.
Calling the conduct seditious to the extent that it allegedly promoted hatred against the Samajwadi Party and its leadership, the notice demands that Dubey issue a public apology on behalf of the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav within two weeks of receipt.
It states that if Dubey fails to comply, the sender will be forced to initiate appropriate civil and criminal proceedings against the BJP MP at his own costs and consequences.
The newly constructed Ram Temple in Ayodhya, one of India’s most significant religious landmarks, has come under scrutiny following allegations of financial irregularities involving donations and offerings made by devotees.
Nearly two-and-a-half years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the grand temple dedicated to Lord Ram, allegations have emerged claiming that cash donations, jewellery, gold, silver and other valuable offerings worth crores of rupees may have been misused.
The controversy has triggered political debate, public concern and legal action, with petitions being filed before constitutional courts seeking an independent investigation into the matter. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple affairs, has denied any wrongdoing and maintained that the donation management system is transparent and regularly audited.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine the allegations.