A local MP-MLA court in Hathras on Friday recorded statements of two witnesses in a defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, news agency PTI reported. The statements were recorded for allegedly calling three acquitted youths "accused" in the 2020 Hathras `gang rape` case.

The district court fixed October 27 as the next date for evidence submission, a lawyer representing the three acquitted youths said.