The Congress Seva Dal has filed a cyber complaint over a social media post by retired IAF Flight Lieutenant Anoop Verma, who compared Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to 2008 Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Kasab.
“We are committed to challenging every unlawful act that seeks to malign constitutional offices, defame Congress leaders, or equate democratic dissent with terrorism, as alleged in the present case. A special court in Mumbai convicted Kasab and sentenced him to death. The Bombay High Court upheld the sentence. The apex court convicted him of multiple offences, including murder and waging war against the Government of India.
The organisation also referred to constitutional protections relating to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19, while saying that such freedoms were subject to lawful restrictions. On August 29, 2012, the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal and confirmed the death penalty.
The Congress Seva Dal legal cell said the matter would be pursued through “appropriate legal channels”. The organisation said it would “not tolerate any malicious or unlawful acts targeting the Congress Party and its leaders or members. It said it would pursue remedies under the Constitution, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and applicable cyber laws. “No one is above the law, and accountability must be ensured through due process,” they said.
The post also drew a response from retired Indian Air Force officer Sgt Karmveer Singh.
Reacting to Verma’s post, Singh said a cyber complaint had been filed and criticised the comparison between Gandhi and a convicted terrorist. “You are comparing the Leader of Opposition (LoP) with a CONVICTED TERRORIST,” Singh wrote on X. Political disagreement was part of democracy but that “respect and decency should remain non-negotiable”, he said.
