In the Savarkar defamation case, Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer opposed the complainant’s demand for his personal court appearance, arguing lack of legal basis and citing procedural flaws.
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PUNE: In the ongoing defamation case against Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, his lawyer strongly opposed the complainant’s plea demanding Gandhi’s personal presence in court during the trial. The case revolves around alleged objectionable remarks Gandhi made about Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar during a speech in London in March 2023.
The Court Proceedings
On Monday, Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi, argued before the Pune court that his client’s personal presence was not legally necessary. Pawar emphasized that the complainant, Satyaki Savarkar, grandnephew of V D Savarkar, had failed to cite any specific legal provision mandating such attendance. According to Pawar,
“The application was one-sided, baseless, and cannot be sustained in the eyes of the law.”
He further contended that the court should reject applications that lack a legal foundation and instead promote principles aligned with democratic and lawful processes.
Background of the Case
Satyaki Savarkar had filed the defamation complaint against Gandhi, alleging that in his 2023 London speech, Gandhi falsely claimed that V D Savarkar had written in one of his books about physically assaulting a Muslim man along with friends and deriving happiness from the act. The complainant argued that no such incident was ever recorded and that Savarkar had never written such a statement.
Interestingly, last month, Gandhi’s legal team withdrew an earlier application, citing security concerns for the Congress leader, and clarified that it had been filed without Gandhi’s consent. This prompted Satyaki Savarkar to request the court to directly question Gandhi regarding whether earlier applications were filed under his instructions.
Current Status
During Monday’s hearing, Pawar urged the court to first direct the complainant to specify under which section of law the application was filed before considering any such demands. The court has now scheduled the matter for further hearing on October 3, 2025.
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