2009 hate speech case: Charges framed against Varun Gandhi

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, Varun Gandhi faces trial in the 2009 hate speech case after charges were framed against him in a Pilibhit court. Varun Gandhi, great-grandson of the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had reportedly made inflammatory comments against Muslims in Pilibhit in the run-up to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP leader appeared in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Abdul Qayum where police had filed a charge sheet in the case, which was lodged at Sadar Kotwali police station. Varun was booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code and the People's Representative Act in 2009 for promoting enmity and disturbing harmony through provocative speeches in Pilibhit.

The court has fixed December 10 and 11 as the next date of hearing. Later, in the same year, the UP government had invoked the provisions of the National Security Act against Varun for "inciting communal tension" through his speeches at election rallies held in Pilibhit district on March 7 and 9.

Varun Gandhi is accused of making inflammatory comments against Muslims in Pilibhit ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

With additional information from PTI

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