A court in Pune issued an order on Thursday directing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear in response to a complaint filed by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's grandnephew, accusing him of defaming the Hindutva ideologue. The petitioner's lawyer made this claim. During the hearing, Gandhi was not represented by any lawyer, and the detailed order was not yet available.
The order was issued by judicial magistrate Akshi Jain. This decision followed Pune police's statement, two days prior, confirming the validity of the complaint filed by Satyaki Savarkar. He alleged that Gandhi defamed the late freedom fighter in a speech given in London in 2023. The order specified that the next hearing, scheduled for August 19, 2024, would focus on 'appearance'.
Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, representing Satyaki Savarkar, stated that the judge had instructed Gandhi to appear in court on that date. It remains unclear whether Gandhi is expected to be physically present or can be represented by his lawyer.
As per the complaint, Rahul Gandhi mentioned in his speech that V D Savarkar had written about an incident where he and his friends assaulted a Muslim man, which brought him joy. Satyaki Savarkar contested this, stating that no such event occurred and that V D Savarkar never documented such actions. Following this, a complaint was filed under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500 (defamation).
The court instructed the Vishrambaug police station to review the evidence presented by Satyaki Savarkar and submit a report. Advocate Kolhatkar mentioned that the police report, submitted on Monday, confirmed that V D Savarkar had not documented any such incident, contrary to Gandhi's claim during his speech.
