A Varanasi court on Wednesday set aside a magistrate court’s May order that refused to direct that a case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly describing Hindu deity Ram as a “mythological figure”, Live Law reported.

The additional district and sessions judge was hearing a revision plea against the May 27 order of the magistrate holding the plea demanding a first information report as non-maintainable.

The judge on Wednesday directed that the matter be heard afresh in light of decisions by the Supreme Court and the High Court.

The original complaint was filed by an advocate who had claimed that Gandhi’s comments were “hateful” and “controversial”, Live Law reported.

He approached the special court after his plea was rejected in May.

The complainant accused Gandhi of making repeated “absurd comments about the previous incarnations and great symbols of Sanatan Dharma”. He also accused the Opposition leader of insulting Hindus who believe in Sanatan Dharma.

Sanatana Dharma is a term some people use as a synonym for Hinduism.

“By delivering hate speech, they have committed a serious criminal offense”, Live Law quoted the complaint as having alleged.

It further argued that Gandhi’s comments were “even more despicable” in view of the Supreme Court’s Ram temple judgement.

The Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992, by Hindutva extremists because they believed that it stood on the spot on which the deity Ram had been born.

In 2019, the Supreme Court held that the demolition of the Babri mosque was illegal, but handed over the land to a trust for a Ram temple to be constructed. At the same time, it directed that a five-acre plot in Ayodhya be allotted to Muslims for a mosque to be constructed.

In January 2024, the temple was inaugurated in a ceremony led by Modi.

In April 2025, Gandhi while speaking at Brown University in Rhode Island about Hindutva politics had described the deity as a “mythological figure” who was forgiving and compassionate.

“I don’t know of one person who we consider great in India who wasn’t of this type…all our all our mythological figures, Lord Ram was of that type where he was forgiving, he was compassionate,” Gandhi had said. “So, I don’t consider what the BJP says to be the Hindu idea.”

Edited by Nachiket Deuskar.