Supreme Court Quashes Cases Against Rahul Gandhi, Comedians Over Remarks

Politics19 sourcesAug 14, 2026

Leans rightFactual rigor 53/100

The Story

The Supreme Court on Friday quashed a hate speech case against Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, concerning alleged derogatory comments about Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar.

The Uttar Pradesh government failed to grant the required sanction for his prosecution under Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The private complaint was filed by Lucknow resident Nripendra Pandey, stemming from remarks Gandhi allegedly made during his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Maharashtra in 2022. Last July, the apex court had stayed a Magistrate’s summons against Gandhi and cautioned him against making statements about freedom fighters.

Rahul Gandhi recently mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy approach, stating he did not understand where Modi got the idea that foreign policy was about hugging world leaders. He illustrated his point by hugging Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey responded by sharing photographs of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat, and a viral image of Rahul Gandhi hugging PM Modi.

Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and Assam CM criticized Gandhi for his remarks. Rahul Gandhi has also moved the Supreme Court against Allahabad High Court orders for an inquiry into allegations of disproportionate assets.

What they agree on

The Supreme Court quashed a hate speech case against Rahul Gandhi regarding remarks about V.D. Savarkar due to the Uttar Pradesh government's failure to grant prosecution sanction.
The Supreme Court also quashed criminal proceedings against comedians Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar.
The comedians' cases were quashed after the court acknowledged their efforts in organizing awareness and fundraising events for persons with disabilities.
Rahul Gandhi recently criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy, specifically his practice of hugging world leaders.
BJP leaders, including MP Nishikant Dubey and Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, criticized Rahul Gandhi for his remarks about PM Modi.

Where they split

The Hindu provides detailed legal context for Rahul Gandhi's case, including the requirement for government sanction under Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
News18 and Zee News focus more on the political reactions to Rahul Gandhi's "hug" remarks, including specific quotes from BJP leaders like Devendra Fadnavis and Pralhad Joshi.
Hindustan Times and LiveMint give more prominence to the Supreme Court's appreciation of the comedians' "genuine efforts" and their work with the Cure SMA Foundation.
India Today mentions that Samay Raina and several others still face another case over an objectionable remark made by YouTuber Ranveer Allahabadia about a contestant’s parents.

The Spread

Balanced

19 sources placed · 6 from headlines only

00 far left

00 left

22 centre left

1414 centre

11 centre right

11 right

11 far right

The coverage 19 sources

Center-LeftOutlook IndiaOutlook India (opens the publisher’s site)
CenterERR NewsERR News (opens the publisher’s site)
CenterGulf NewsGulf News (opens the publisher’s site)
CenterHindustan TimesHindustan Times (opens the publisher’s site)
CenterIndia TodayIndia Today (opens the publisher’s site)
CenterIndia TV News (English)India TV News (English) (opens the publisher’s site)
CenterLiveMintLiveMint (opens the publisher’s site)
CenterMongabayMongabay (opens the publisher’s site)
CenterNews18News18 (opens the publisher’s site)
CenterOpIndiaOpIndia (opens the publisher’s site)