Hathras (UP), Jul 15 A court in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on Wednesday issued notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on a revision petition in a defamation complaint linked to his remarks on the 2020 Boolgarhi rape case, counsel for the complainants said.
Additional District Judge Vijay Kumar of the MP/MLA court issued the notice after admitting the revision petition and fixed August 11 for the next hearing, advocate Munna Singh Pundhir said.
Pundhir, who represents Ravi, Ram Kumar alias Ramu and Lav Kush -- the three men acquitted of rape charges in the Boolgarhi case -- said an Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division) and MP/MLA court had on May 13 dismissed the complaint against Gandhi.
Challenging that order, the complainants filed the revision petition, he said.
A Dalit girl from was allegedly gangraped in September 2020, and died days later during treatment at a hospital in Delhi. Four men of her village were accused of committing the crime. Three of them - Ramkumar, Luvkush and Ravi - were acquitted, while Sandeep was found guilty and is still in jail.
According to Pundhir, Gandhi had visited Boolgarhi village on December 12, 2024, and allegedly stated that the accused were "roaming free" while the victim's family remained confined to their home.
The advocate claimed the remarks were defamatory as the three men had been acquitted of rape charges following a CBI investigation and a trial that lasted over two-and-a-half years.
The complainants had earlier served a legal notice on Gandhi seeking damages of Rs 1.5 crore -- Rs 50 lakh each for the three acquitted men -- before filing the criminal defamation complaint in the trial court, the lawyer said.
