A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Nainital High Court demanding an independent and time-bound investigation into a ‘purification’ ritual allegedly performed by right-wing group members following Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally in Haldwani.
The petition, lodged by Dehradun-based lawyer Baijnath Chauhan, is scheduled for hearing before a Division Bench of the High Court on September 7.
The controversy arose after a Congress rally held at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani on August 8, ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections. Members of a right-wing group are alleged to have performed a ‘shuddhikaran’ ritual at the venue, prompting criticism from Congress leaders.
Chauhan told ANI that the incident has caused distress among the public and raises serious concerns about social equality decades after India’s independence. He stated, “I have filed this Public Interest Litigation (PIL) as a common citizen. Although I am a professional lawyer here, the general public is pained by this incident. It has been almost 80 years since our independence. If, even after 80 years, the situation is such that after a person leaves a place, the stage is ‘purified’ — so to speak — then it is a matter of concern. This is a subject for investigation. My request in the petition is also If we are still seeing incidents of ‘purification’ after 80 years of independence; if we see that a Dalit person cannot enter a place of worship, then this is truly a matter of sadness, I filed this petition.”
Chauhan explained the legal steps taken before approaching the High Court, noting, “And I didn’t file it directly. First, on August 14, I sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the officials there. After that, on August 17, I submitted a representation to the Honorable DG of Police, the District Magistrate, the SSP of Nainital, and the SHO, requesting an investigation and legal action against those responsible. When I did not receive a satisfactory response from them, I filed this petition.”
Regarding claims by the BJP denying their members’ involvement in the ritual, Chauhan emphasized that his plea is not politically motivated. He said, “That is a political matter. I cannot comment on that. However, the incident did happen. And how can such a claim be made without an investigation? If a political party has concluded that their people weren’t there, are they implying that while their people weren’t involved, the ‘purification’ did indeed take place? If that is the case — if it’s an admission that ‘purification’ happened, just not by their people — then I have no objection. I have no political agenda in this, neither for any particular party.
Meanwhile, Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP of attempting to intimidate and demoralize Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi by registering an FIR against him over his remarks about the purification ritual at the Congress rally site in Uttarakhand. Kharge said, “Rahul Gandhi is a prominent leader of a party in the Lok Sabha. He raised his voice inside Parliament, and outside as well. Just as he has been raising issues concerning students, inflation and unemployment, he also raised the voice of Dalits. This is strange — if they try to intimidate and demoralize a leader who fights for Dalits, fights for women, fights for students, fights for victimized women, and fights against inflation by filing. FIRs, our party is not going to be scared. If the BJP wants to settle scores with Rahul Gandhi, it won’t work, and we will continue to face such things.
Kharge had earlier raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha, linking the ritual to his identity as a Dalit leader and questioning its acceptability in a democracy. He said, “I myself come from the Dalit community. If any leader spoke about me, whatever happened was not right. And it is not just a question about me; it is a question about the Dalits of this country.”
On August 30, an FIR was registered against Rahul Gandhi based on his statements regarding the shuddhikaran yajna conducted at the rally venue. The FIR followed a complaint by Amit Kumar, a member of the Valmiki community, who alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks hurt the sentiments of the Scheduled Caste community. Police invoked provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, including Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(u), along with Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.