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

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 PTIThe Pune court issued the summons to Gandhi on Friday asking him to appear before it on October 23Last year Savarkars 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 courtAdvocate 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 PTIIn 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 happySatyaki Savarkar said no such incident ever took place and that V D Savarkar never wrote any such thing anywhere He termed Gandhis allegation as fictitious false and malicious reported PTIThe 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 primafacie truth in the complaintNashik court summons Rahul Gandhi in defamation case over remarks on SavarkarA court in Maharashtras 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 PTIAdditional Chief Judicial Magistrate Nashik Deepali Parimal Kaduskar issued a process summonsnotice to Gandhi on September 27 noting that the statement made against a patriotic person primafacie seems to be defamatory reported PTIRahul 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 decidedThe 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 PTIHe 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 latters image in the societyThe speech of the accused along with press statements try to ruin the reputation of the complainants idol Swatantryaveer Savarkar and his contribution to the society along with his noble work in the preindependence period he said reported PTIAccording to the complainant Gandhi said Savarkar is BJP and RSS jin which was defamatory in nature reported PTI