Pune court summons Rahul Gandhi on Oct 23 in Savarkar defamation case

Rahul Gandhi. Pic/PTI

A special court in Pune has summoned Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed by the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, accusing the Congress leader of making objectionable remarks against the Hindutva ideologue, reported news agency PTI.

The Pune court issued the summons to Gandhi on Friday, asking him to appear before it on October 23.

Last year, Savarkar's grandnephew, Satyaki Savarkar, had lodged a complaint against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha in this connection in a Pune court. Last month, the case was transferred to the special court for MPs and MLAs from the Judicial Magistrate First Class (FMFC) court.

Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, who represents Satyaki Savarkar, told PTI that the special court for MPs an MLAs, presided over by Joint Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, issued the summons against Gandhi stating that his attendance is necessary to answer a charge punishable under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the case, and he is required to appear in person before the Pune court on October 23, reported PTI.

In his complaint, Satyaki Savarkar alleged that Gandhi, in his speech made in London in March 2023, claimed that V D Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy.

Satyaki Savarkar said no such incident ever took place, and that V D Savarkar never wrote any such thing anywhere. He termed Gandhi's allegation as "fictitious, false, and malicious", reported PTI.

The court had asked the police to investigate the allegations and file a report. The Vishrambaug police station had carried out the inquiry and said that there is a prima-facie truth in the complaint.

Nashik court summons Rahul Gandhi in defamation case over remarks on Savarkar

A court in Maharashtra's Nashik district has summoned Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed against him for his alleged objectionable remarks against Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, reported news agency PTI.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nashik, Deepali Parimal Kaduskar, issued a process (summons/notice) to Gandhi on September 27, noting that the "statement made against a patriotic person prima-facie seems to be defamatory," reported PTI.

Rahul Gandhi will have to appear either personally or through his legal representative on the next date of the defamation case, which is yet to be decided.

The complainant, who is the director of an NGO, claimed he watched a press conference addressed by Gandhi in Hingoli and also a speech made by the Congress leader in November 2022, reported PTI.

He alleged that Gandhi, on the two occasions, by his words and visual representations knowingly harmed the reputation of Veer Savarkar and also tried to defame the latter's image in the society.

"The speech of the accused along with press statements try to ruin the reputation of the complainant's idol Swatantryaveer Savarkar and his contribution to the society along with his noble work in the pre-independence period," he said, reported PTI.

According to the complainant, Gandhi said "Savarkar is BJP and RSS jin" which was defamatory in nature, reported PTI.