SC agrees to hear plea alleging Rahul pushed pregnant scribe

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up an application alleging that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pushed a pregnant journalist during a march held on the court premises on October 12.

The issue was raised before a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The bench said the matter could be heard on October 26 or 27.

Senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia, who mentioned the application, told the court that it had been filed in a pending case. “A female journalist was manhandled on the court premises,” he submitted.

The allegation follows Thursday’s hearing on several petitions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, protests in Delhi and incidents reported during the October 12 march to

the Supreme Court, including alleged assaults on journalists and lawyers.

During Thursday’s proceedings, the court had ordered that no coercive action be taken against a woman journalist who was booked following a complaint by a Delhi Police officer. The officer alleged that she had made casteist remarks against him and humiliated him publicly during a protest near Jantar Mantar.

Bhatia had also asked the bench to consider the alleged incident involving the pregnant journalist. He claimed that Gandhi pushed her within the Supreme Court complex and that she was three months pregnant at the time.

“A lady journalist was pushed by Rahul Gandhi in the Supreme Court precincts. She was three months pregnant and had to be hospitalised,” he told the court, urging it to take cognisance of the allegation.

The bench asked Bhatia to file an application on the issue and said it would examine the matter.

The application was mentioned again on Friday, when the court agreed to hear it later this month.

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The Hans India