NEW DELHI, May 31 -- A Varanasi court has dismissed a plea seeking legal action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for remarks he allegedly made about Lord Ram during a speech at Brown University in April 2025.

The complaint, filed by advocate Harishankar Pandey, claimed Gandhi referred to Lord Ram as a "mythological and fictional figure," which the petitioner said was offensive to Hindu sentiments.

The case was heard by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neeraj Kumar Tripathi, who ruled that the statements did not constitute an offense under applicable provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

The judge noted that the alleged comments fell within the scope of freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution and did not incite hatre...