Lucknow Court Sets September 25 for Ajay Rai’s Statement in Yogi Adityanath Defamation Case

The Lucknow court has fixed September 25 for recording the statement of Uttar Pradesh Congress president and former minister Ajay Rai in connection with his defamation complaint against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over alleged remarks linking him to a “fish feast” in Ayodhya. The development marks the latest turn in a political controversy that began with a Nishad community gathering in Ayodhya and has now moved into formal judicial proceedings.

Rai filed the complaint on September 1 before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Alok Verma, seeking prosecution of Adityanath over remarks he described as false, objectionable and damaging to his reputation. According to the complaint, Adityanath made the remarks at a public meeting in Rae Bareli on August 24, referring to Rai’s visit to Hanumangarhi in Ayodhya and alleging that he subsequently attended a fish feast.

The controversy stems from a Nishad community programme and public meeting held in Ayodhya on August 23, where Rai had been invited to address the gathering. A fish feast was organised afterward as part of a community tradition. Rai, however, has denied eating fish or participating in the feast, maintaining that he is a vegetarian.

Rai alleges that photographs of him arriving at the programme and separate images of community members eating fish were circulated through news channels, newspapers and social media, allegedly creating a false impression that he had consumed fish. He has challenged Adityanath to produce authenticated photographic or video evidence showing him eating fish and has said he would quit politics if such evidence is produced.

The episode gained political traction because it occurred in Ayodhya during Shravan (Sawan), when many Hindus traditionally avoid non-vegetarian food. In January 2026, the Ayodhya administration had also prohibited non-vegetarian food deliveries within 15 km of the Ram temple, covering areas associated with the Panchkosi Parikrama.

The dispute carries a broader political dimension because of the Nishad community’s electoral significance in Uttar Pradesh and the approaching 2027 Assembly elections. Rai, a five-time former MLA, has also contested the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, 2019 and 2024 and has served as Uttar Pradesh Congress president since August 2023.

The September 25 proceeding is procedural and does not mean Adityanath has been found guilty of defamation. Rai’s statement and supporting material will be recorded before the court determines the subsequent course of the complaint. The central dispute remains whether Rai personally ate fish and whether the chief minister’s alleged remarks amounted to defamation.