Bengaluru: A petition has been filed in the Karnataka High Court seeking directions to take action against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making statements that harmed the dignity of women while criticising former JDS MP Prajwal Revanna of Hassan for allegedly sexually harassing women.
National President of All India Dalit Action Committee Chi Na Ramu and President of National Women's Unit Sushila Devaraj have filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which is yet to be scheduled for a hearing.
Rahul Gandhi, the National and State Commission for Women, the Karnataka Home Department and Karnataka Director General of Police have been made respondents in this petition.
The petition demanded that the National and State Women's Commission, state Home Department and state Director General of Police be directed to take action against Rahul Gandhi for insulting the dignity of women through hate speech and disobeying the Constitution and the constitutional protection provided to Indian women.
Rahul should be ordered to tender an unconditional apology for the unconstitutional speech that insulted the dignity of women and caused them humiliation, pain and anguish. The defendants, excluding Rahul, should be ordered to file a white paper separately in respect of dereliction of duty, the plea contended.
It has been requested that Rahul and other defendants, who have harmed the dignity of women, should be given a symbolic penalty under the Indian Penal Code for abuse of public office, damage to public trust and violation of constitutional provisions.
On May 2, 2024, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was campaigning in Shimoga, had said Prajwal Revanna, the JDS candidate from Hassan, raped 400 women and videotaped the incident. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who asked for votes in favour of such a candidate, should apologise to the public," Rahul had said.
With this statement, Rahul has harmed the dignity of women, especially the women of Hassan. They have used the case to gain votes by spreading fake news. They have harmed the dignity of Indian women, the plea contended. It has been objected in the petition that the authorities have not taken any action against Rahul Gandhi.
