A Pune court has issued a summons to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, requiring him to appear on October 23, 2024, in connection with a defamation case. The case, filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, stems from remarks made by Gandhi during a speech in London in March 2023.
During that speech, Rahul Gandhi allegedly claimed that V.D. Savarkar wrote in one of his books that he, along with a group of friends, once assaulted a Muslim man and derived happiness from it. Satyaki Savarkar, disputing these claims, described Gandhi’s statement as “fictitious, false, and malicious,” insisting that no such incident was ever recorded by Savarkar in any of his writings. Consequently, Satyaki Savarkar lodged a criminal defamation complaint against the Congress leader in 2023, citing Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to defamation.
The court’s summons follows an investigation by the Vishrambaug police, who found prima facie merit in Satyaki Savarkar’s complaint. The case was initially filed in a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court but has since been transferred to a special court designated for cases involving MPs and MLAs. The hearing will now take place before Joint Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, who issued the summons to Rahul Gandhi on October 5, 2024.
This case is the latest in a series of legal challenges faced by Gandhi related to his public remarks. In a previous instance, Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Gujarat court for his remarks about the Modi surname, although he successfully obtained bail and appealed the ruling. The current defamation case concerning Savarkar adds another dimension to the political battles between the Congress leader and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which reveres Savarkar as a national hero. The BJP and its allies, including the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), have often criticized Gandhi for his controversial statements, especially those involving Savarkar.
The legal implications of this case could be significant for Rahul Gandhi. Under Section 500 of the IPC, defamation is punishable with imprisonment for up to two years, a fine, or both. Although such cases typically do not result in immediate imprisonment, they can have serious political ramifications, particularly for a high-profile leader like Gandhi.
Moreover, the case highlights the ongoing ideological tussle between the Congress, which often questions Savarkar’s legacy, and the BJP, which positions Savarkar as a freedom fighter and nationalist icon. For Gandhi, this court battle comes at a time when he is attempting to rebuild his political career after the reinstatement of his parliamentary membership following a Supreme Court stay on his conviction in the Modi surname case.
As the hearing date approaches, the case is likely to attract significant media attention, with both the Congress and BJP camps closely monitoring its progress. Depending on the outcome, it could either dent Gandhi’s reputation further or give him another opportunity to position himself as a victim of political vendetta.
The defamation trial will be a key moment in Gandhi’s ongoing legal and political challenges, especially with the Lok Sabha elections approaching. How this case unfolds may also have broader implications for the political discourse surrounding the legacy of V.D. Savarkar and its role in contemporary Indian politics
(Telegraph India)
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