The Delhi High Court on Wednesday disposed of a petition seeking registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi for revealing the identity of an alleged rape victim after taking note of the submissions by the Congress leader, the city police and social media platform X.
Revealing victim’s identity
Revealing the identity of a rape victim is considered an offense under Section 228A of the Indian Penal Code, carrying a penalty of up to two years of imprisonment and a fine. The Delhi Police informed the high court that an FIR had been filed against Gandhi for his social media post disclosing the identity of an alleged rape victim in 2021, and further investigation is ongoing.
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Gandhi’s legal representative informed the bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora, that he had removed the tweet that exposed the identity of a minor Dalit girl allegedly raped and murdered.
Rahul deleted the tweet
The legal representative for social media platform X (formerly Twitter) confirmed to the court that Gandhi had personally deleted the tweet. The court, in the process of hearing a 2021 petition by social activist Makarand Suresh Mhadlekar seeking an FIR against Gandhi, acknowledged the actions taken by all parties involved.
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Plea disposed
Taking note of the submissions made, the high court stated that the prayers outlined in the petition had been addressed and subsequently disposed of the plea.
