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Acquitted accused’s counsel sends notice to Rahul, seeks ₹50 lakh compensation
Rahul Gandhi is a responsible MP and holds position as the leader of opposition. But he made the comment on social media even after the verdict holding my client not guilty, says lawyer
AGRA The counsel of one of the accused in the 2020 Hathras gangrape and murder case accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of making derogatory statement against his client for “political gains” and served a legal notice on the latter, asking him to pay ₹50 lakh compensation.
Gandhi, in a surprise visit, had visited a village in Hathras on December 12 and met the family members of a 19-year-old Dalit woman who was allegedly gang raped and died later during treatment in Delhi in September 2020. He interacted with the kin and later posted his comment on X.
The woman died about a fortnight after she was allegedly gang raped by four accused from the same village in Hathras. Three of the four accused were later acquitted by an SC/ST court in Hathras while one was sentenced to life imprisonment. The matter is now pending before the Allahabad high court.
“My client, one of the accused, was acquitted by the court as the allegations of gangrape and murder were not proved. But Rahul Gandhi, for political gains, wrote on X that confinement of the victim’s family in their home and free movement of the accused is against the basic principle of the Constitution,” alleged the lawyer in his notice.
“Rahul Gandhi is a responsible MP and holds position as the leader of opposition. But he made the comment on social media even after the verdict holding my client not guilty. The statement has cast a stigma on the character of my client,” stated the counsel.
“This is an offence punishable under Section 356(2) of BNS 2023, for which my client should be paid ₹50 lakh,” he added
