NEW DELHI: A special court in Pune has summoned Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, over alleged objectionable remarks made by the Congress leader against the Hindutva ideologue.
The summons, issued on Friday, requires Rahul Gandhi to appear before the court on October 23.
Last year, Satyaki Savarkar lodged a complaint against Gandhi in connection with statements made during his March 2023 speech in London.According to the complaint made by Sarvarkar, he claimed that Gandhi in his statement allegedly said 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.
Savarkar denied this statement, calling the allegation “fictitious, false, and malicious.”
The case, initially lodged last year in a Pune court, was transferred last month from the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) to a special court for MPs and MLAs. Joint civil judge and judicial magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, presiding over the special court, ruled that Gandhi’s presence was required to face charges under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (defamation).
Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, representing Satyaki Savarkar, informed that an inquiry conducted by Vishrambaug police found prima facie evidence supporting the complaint, leading to the court’s decision to summon Gandhi.