An MP-MLA court in Hathras has sought Rahul Gandhi’s response on a defamation complaint filed by three men acquitted in the 2020 Hathras gangrape case. The court issued notice after receiving an inquiry report and fixed the next hearing for February 7, 2026.
Hathras: An MP-MLA court in Hathras on Monday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to respond to a defamation complaint filed against him by three men who were acquitted in the September 2020 Hathras gangrape case, according to their lawyer.
The complaint states that Rahul Gandhi made defamatory remarks on December 12, 2024, against the three men even though they had already been acquitted of rape charges by the court.
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The matter relates to the alleged gangrape of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras, who later died in September 2020. After her death, the police cremated her body late at night outside the village, allegedly without the consent of her family, which had triggered nationwide outrage at the time.
On Monday, Judge Deepak Nath Saraswati received a report that had earlier been sought from the circle officer as part of the court’s preliminary inquiry into the complaint, said Munna Singh Pundir, the lawyer representing the three men.
Pundir said,
“Based on the report, the court has issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi, giving him an opportunity to file his objections in the matter,”
He further added that the next date of hearing has been fixed for February 7, 2026.
Pundir alleged that Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to Boolgarhi village on December 12, 2024, made statements suggesting that the accused persons were roaming free, while the victim’s family was confined inside their home.
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“The accused were roaming free while the victim’s family was confined to their home,”
Pundir said, referring to the statement allegedly made by Gandhi during the visit.
The lawyer said that Ravi, Ram Kumar alias Ramu, and Lovkush — who were acquitted of rape charges in the case — found these remarks defamatory. He pointed out that they were cleared after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and a trial that lasted more than two-and-a-half years, during which all three men remained in jail.
Pundir further claimed that while one accused named Sandeep was initially named in the case, the other three were falsely implicated at the insistence of the complainant’s family.
He also stated that notices had earlier been sent to Rahul Gandhi seeking his response to the allegations, but no reply was received. Following this, the defamation complaint was filed before the MP-MLA court.
The lawyer added that a legal notice demanding Rs 1.5 crore in damages — Rs 50 lakh each for the three acquitted men — had also been served on Rahul Gandhi.
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