The petition, lodged by advocate Nripendra Pandey, names Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mallikarjun Kharge, K. C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh as co-accused, alleging their silence amounted to tacit complicity. The court has set October 1 to record the complainant’s statement.
The controversy stems from a speech delivered by Rahul Gandhi when inaugurating the Congress party’s new headquarters in New Delhi on 15 January. At that event he said: “If you believe we are fighting against a political organisation called BJP and RSS… we are now fighting not just the BJP and RSS, but the Indian state itself.” The petition argues that using the term “Indian state” implies he is opposing constitutional institutions, the people, Parliament, judiciary, the executive—everything that constitutes the state.
Lawyers supporting the petition assert that Gandhi’s remarks go beyond political dissent, crossing into undermining national sovereignty and integrity. They argue that such statements should be examined under laws related to sedition and conspiracy. Opposition figures and some legal experts counter that political speech—even with strong critique—is protected under freedom of speech, so long as it does not incite violence or breach law.