Rahul Gandhi faces plea over pregnant journalist's treatment as Supreme Court fixes hearing date

The Supreme Court will consider an application over an allegation that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pushed a pregnant journalist during an Opposition march to the court on October 12. The application was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Friday, which said it could be taken up on October 26 or 27.

Senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia, who raised the matter before the bench, said the application had been filed in a pending petition.

"A female journalist was manhandled on the court premises," Bhatia said.

The issue was raised a day after the Supreme Court heard several petitions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, protests in Delhi, the October 12 march to the court and allegations of assaults on journalists and lawyers.

During Thursday's hearing, Bhatia had asked the bench to consider the case involving the pregnant journalist. He alleged that Rahul Gandhi had pushed her within the court premises and said she was three months pregnant and had to be hospitalised.

Bhatia urged the court to take cognisance of the matter. The bench asked him to file an application, saying it would consider the issue.

The Supreme Court also addressed a separate case involving a woman journalist against whom a case had been registered by a Delhi Police officer. The officer accused her of making casteist remarks and publicly humiliating him during a protest near Jantar Mantar. The court directed that no coercive action be taken against her.

The October 12 march saw Rahul Gandhi and several Opposition leaders, accompanied by supporters, reach the Supreme Court to submit a petition over alleged large-scale deletions and irregularities in electoral rolls during the SIR exercise.

Protests have also taken place in the national capital demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision process.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued notices to Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, the Congress party and others on a petition challenging the October 12 march.