Rahul Gandhi takes down tweet revealing minor victim's identity, Delhi HC disposes of PIL

New Delhi, Jan 24: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that he has deleted a tweet containing purportedly sensitive details about a minor girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in 2021.

Social activist Makarand Suresh Mhadlekar had moved a plea in the High Court in 2021, alleging that Gandhi had violated the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, which prohibits the identification of minors who have been sexually assaulted.

His plea sought FIR against Gandhi for revealing the identity of a nine-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and killed.

The court was also told by X's counsel that the tweet in question has been deleted.

The Delhi Police informed the court that an FIR was registered in September 2021 against Gandhi based on a complaint by the Registrar of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). It also said that another FIR, initially registered in August 2021, is pending trial, and charges are yet to be framed under the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act.

The court disposed of Mhadlekar’s PIL, saying that the prayers in the writ petition stand satisfied in light of the actions taken.

During the proceedings last time, Delhi Police's counsel had informed the court that the cause of the minor victim's death was electrocution, with no scientific evidence supporting claims of rape and murder.

Advocate Mehmood Pracha, representing the victim's family, had urged the court to avoid discussing case details openly to preserve the trial's integrity. Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the petitioner, had asserted that regardless of the crime's proof, disclosing the minor's identity constituted an offence under the POCSO Act.

The court had directed Delhi Police to submit a detailed status report on the investigation into Gandhi within four weeks, in a sealed cover.

The nine-year-old had died under suspicious circumstances on August 1, 2021, with her parents alleging that she was raped, murdered and cremated by a crematorium's priest in Delhi's Old Nangal village.