Viral selfie with Rahul Gandhi sparks false claims online; Advocate clarifies he is not Judge
Lucknow, July 15: A photograph of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi taken during his court appearance in Lucknow on Tuesday has gone viral on social media, sparking misleading claims that the man seen taking a selfie with him inside the court premises was the judge hearing the case. However, fact-checks and official clarifications have confirmed that the individual is not a judge but a practicing lawyer.
The incident took place at the Special MP-MLA Court in Lucknow, where Rahul Gandhi appeared in connection with a 2018 defamation case filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra over remarks allegedly made by Gandhi against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The court granted him bail during the hearing.
Amid his visit to the court, several people, including lawyers, were seen interacting with and taking pictures with the Congress leader. One such selfie was widely circulated on social media platforms, with many claiming that the person in the photograph was the judge handling the case. The claim, which suggested judicial bias, was shared by several political pages and influencers, causing confusion among the public.
A fact-check conducted by Vartha Bharati confirmed that the individual in the selfie is not a judge but Advocate Syed Mahmood Hasan, a lawyer practicing in the Lucknow District Court since 2006 and a resident of Barabanki.
Speaking to media outlets, Advocate Hasan dismissed the viral claims. “I had gone to meet Rahul Gandhi, but I am not a judge. I am just a lawyer,” he said. Hasan added that he admired Gandhi and, like many others present, simply took the opportunity to click a photo with him.
The court proceedings were presided over by Special Judge H.R. Yadav, who heard the matter and granted bail as per procedure. Officials clarified that the selfie incident had no impact on the legal outcome of the case.
The viral misinformation appears to be part of an orchestrated campaign to cast doubt on the impartiality of the judiciary.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
