SC Grants Anticipatory Bail to Influencer Booked for Misquoting Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha Speech

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to social media influencer Raushan Sinha, who was booked for allegedly misquoting a statement made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his speech in Lok Sabha.

The Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Aravind Kumar observed that Sinha’s arrest was unnecessary and there was no justification for custodial interrogation.

The Court set aside the Telangana High Court’s order refusing pre-arrest bail and allowed Sinha’s plea.

The case arose from a speech delivered by Rahul Gandhi on July 1, 2024, in Parliament, where he reportedly remarked that those “who call themselves Hindus are constantly engaged in violence, hatred and lies.” The following day, Sinha shared Gandhi’s image on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “Those who are Hindus are violent, Rahul Gandhi.”

The post triggered controversy and led to the registration of FIR No. 1619/2025 at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Hyderabad, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Sections 352, 353(1)(c), 353(2), and 336(4). The complaint was lodged by a Congress supporter, Venkat Naik, alleging that Sinha had distorted Gandhi’s words to promote communal tension.

During the hearing, Advocate Ashish K Dixit for Sinha contended that his post was “political commentary” protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution and that the case was politically motivated to “harass and silence” him for criticising a prominent opposition leader.

Granting him relief, the Apex court noted that the investigation could proceed without his detention, emphasizing that pre-trial arrests should not be made in cases where custodial interrogation serves no purpose.

Sinha also alleged harassment by Telangana Police, including visits to his residence, and cited threats from political operatives. The defence emphasized that he had no criminal record, posed no flight risk, and that custodial interrogation was unnecessary.

Earlier, the Telangana High Court, by its order dated April 3, 2025, had denied anticipatory bail to Sinha and directed him to appear before the Investigating Officer without granting any protection from arrest. Fearing detention, he approached the Supreme Court under Article 136 of the Constitution.

On July 17, 2025, the Supreme Court had granted temporary relief. With its latest order on July 24, the bench made it explicit that the protection from arrest extends to any other FIR arising from the same cause of action, subject to Sinha’s cooperation with the investigation.

Case Title: Raushan Sinha v. State of Telangana

Order Date: November 12, 2025

Bench: Justices Dipankar Datta and Aravind Kumar 

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