SAMBHAL: A local court on Wednesday issued a notice and sought the response of leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his alleged utterances on "fighting the Indian state itself".

Additional district judge (ADJ-II) Aarti Faujdar issued the notice on a complaint filed by Hindu Shakti Dal national president Simran Gupta.

During the inauguration of the Congress' new headquarters in Delhi on January 15, Gandhi alleged the BJP and the RSS had "captured every institution of the country" and added, "We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself."

Speaking to reporters, Gupta said, "On January 15, Leader of Opposition (in the Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi, during the inauguration of the Congress' new headquarters in Delhi, had said that 'our fight is not only with the RSS and the BJP but also with India state."

The comment demonstrated disrespect towards the citizens and democracy of the country, Gupta added.

"Rahul Gandhi's statement deeply hurt the sentiments of people across the country. I had earlier approached the District Magistrate and the SP in Sambhal, but no action was taken. As a result, I filed a case on January 23 in court," the complainant said.

The court previously asked Gandhi to appear on April 4 and later extended the date to May 7 for submission of his response.

Owing to his counsel's absence on Wednesday, a junior lawyer sought a new date, which the court accepted, setting June 16 as the next date of hearing.