Sonia Gandhi Accused of Disrespecting 'Vande Mataram': Court Case Admitted

A Ghaziabad court admitted a case against Sonia Gandhi by Hindu Sena's Vishnu Gupta, alleging she disrespected 'Vande Mataram'. The complaint claims Gandhi disrupted the song during an August 15 event, seeking action under national honor laws. The court set a September 8 date to record statements.

A special MP-MLA court in Ghaziabad convened a hearing on Tuesday following a petition by Hindu Sena national president Vishnu Gupta against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. The petition accuses Gandhi of allegedly showing disrespect toward the national song, 'Vande Mataram'. The court has admitted the case, scheduling further proceedings for September 8 to document Gupta's statement.

Gupta's complaint claims that Gandhi intentionally interrupted the rendition of 'Vande Mataram' at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi on August 15. He is seeking criminal proceedings under Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, alongside relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The complaint suggests that Gandhi gestured for the song to stop, an action reportedly captured on video, necessitating judicial scrutiny of the footage to assess her intervention's impact.

In an interview with ANI, Gupta emphasized the seriousness of the alleged insult, asserting that the complaint does not stem from Gandhi simply opting out of singing. Instead, it targets her purported active disruption. Gupta referenced a Supreme Court ruling, which distinguished between non-participation and active interference in national song renditions, to bolster the case. The complaint links Gandhi's actions to a premeditated strategy and invokes an amendment to Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, highlighting statutory protections for the national song.