Bareilly (UP), Jan 7 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who was scheduled to appear before a district court in Bareilly on Tuesday concerning a case related to his statement on economic reservation, did not attend.

The court granted him time to attend the next hearing on January 17, according to a lawyer representing the petitioner.

The petitioner's advocate, Virendra Pal Gupta, said, "Rahul Gandhi was supposed to present his side before District and Sessions Judge Sudhir Kumar today but he did not attend the hearing. The court has now transferred the case to the MP-MLA court and given him time to appear on January 17." Earlier, the court had issued a notice asking Gandhi to appear on January 7 regarding his comments on economic reservation.

The case was initiated by Pankaj Pathak, a local resident and divisional president of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha. Through his lawyers Gupta and Anil Dwivedi, Pathak had filed a petition in the MP-MLA Court seeking to register an FIR against Gandhi. The petition was dismissed by the court on August 27, 2024. Subsequently, a review petition challenging the dismissal was filed in the Sessions Court.

Gupta said District and Sessions Judge Sudhir Kumar accepted the criminal revision petition against Gandhi and scheduled the case for a hearing on Tuesday.

Petitioner Pathak alleged that Gandhi made a statement aimed at appeasing one community while targeting another's property, which deeply offended him. He expressed confidence that the court would respect public sentiments and take appropriate action. PTI COR KIS KSS KSS

Criminal revision petition over alleged communal remarks: hearing adjourned and matter transferred to MP-MLA court. A criminal revision petition challenging the dismissal of a petition seeking FIR registration for alleged remarks on economic reservation was accepted by the District and Sessions Court; the accused did not appear at the scheduled hearing, the matter was transferred to the MP-MLA court, and the court granted time for appearance at the next hearing.