New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday took an important step in a case related to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The court has sought response from Rahul Gandhi and other concerned parties on the application alleging that a pregnant woman journalist was pushed during the march towards the Supreme Court complex on October 12. The application demands registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi and others allegedly involved in the incident and compensation to the journalist. However, these allegations have not yet been proven in court.
Who raised the matter in the Supreme Court?
The matter was mentioned by senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. He informed that an application in this regard has been filed in the already pending petition. It has been alleged in the application that there was a scuffle with the female journalist in the Supreme Court premises. The court has sought response from Rahul Gandhi and other concerned parties in this matter.
What is alleged to have happened to the female journalist?
According to the application, the woman journalist was allegedly pushed hard towards the gate, due to which she lost her balance and fell. The petition claims that security personnel, journalists and other people were present there at the time of the incident. The application also alleges that the push was intentional and not due to the crowd. Along with registering an FIR, the petitioner has demanded compensation to the female journalist. The parties concerned are yet to respond to these allegations.
Was the matter raised on October 16 also?
Senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia had also mentioned this matter before the Supreme Court on October 16. During that time he had alleged that the female journalist was three months pregnant and after the incident she had to be admitted to the hospital. He had urged the court to take cognisance of the matter. Now during the hearing on the application, the bench has sought answers from the concerned parties.
Why did Rahul Gandhi reach the Supreme Court on 12 October?
On October 12, Rahul Gandhi and many opposition leaders reached the Supreme Court with their supporters. They had come to file a petition alleging alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list and deletion of names of a large number of voters. There were also protests in Delhi on this issue. Opposition leaders had raised questions over alleged irregularities in the electoral process, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
What happened in the petition challenging the march?
The Supreme Court has earlier issued notice to Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress Party and other concerned parties on the petition challenging the October 12 march. Now a separate reply has been sought on the application filed regarding the alleged incident related to the female journalist. The parties concerned will present their views in the further hearing. After this the court will consider the FIR and the demand for compensation.
