Bareilly Court Issues Notice to Rahul Gandhi Over Caste Census Remarks

Bareilly District Court has issued a notice to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his comments regarding the caste census during his election campaign.
The court directed Gandhi to appear on January 7, following a petition filed by Pankaj Pathak. The petitioner accused Gandhi's remarks of attempting to "start a civil war in the country."
Pathak, in his petition, argued that Gandhi’s statement on caste census could incite division and unrest within the nation, requiring judicial intervention. "We felt that Rahul Gandhi's statement during the elections was like an attempt to start a civil war," Pathak said. The petition was initially filed in the MP-MLA court, where it was dismissed.
However, the petitioner pursued the matter further, appealing to the District Judge Court, which accepted the appeal and issued a notice to Gandhi. In response to the ongoing political discourse, Rahul Gandhi continued to demand the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He accused Shah and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of undermining the Constitution and disrespecting Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Posting on his social media accounts, Gandhi wrote, "BJP, Narendra Modi, and Amit Shah have committed the biggest mistake of their lives by attacking the Constitution and insulting Baba Saheb. India will not forgive this mistake. The Home Minister should apologize and resign."
He shared a montage of protests, marches, and speeches organized by Congress after Amit Shah’s remarks on Ambedkar. Gandhi also referred to his speech in Parliament, framing the current political battle as a fight between the Manusmriti and the Constitution, asserting that one side upholds the Constitution.
"It is written in the Constitution that there should be no discrimination on the basis of race, caste, religion, or place of birth... Today, in India, there is a battle. This side (pointing to his MPs) are the defenders of the idea of the Constitution," he stated. The court's notice to Rahul Gandhi comes as the political debate around caste census and constitutional values continues to intensify.