Rahul Gandhi granted bail by Pune court in Savarkar defamation case
Savarkar’s grand-nephew filed a complaint against the Congress leader in April 2023, accusing him of making malicious remarks about the Hindutva ideologue.
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A Pune court on Friday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case against him for his remarks about Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in a 2023 speech made in London, Bar and Bench reported.
A MP/MLA court of Judge Amol Shinde granted Gandhi bail on a surety bond of Rs 25,000, his counsel Milind Pawar said. The Rae Bareli MP appeared for the hearing through videoconferencing.
The case pertained to a complaint filed by Savarkar’s grand-nephew Satyaki Savarkar in April 2023 against Gandhi, accusing him of making fictitious, false and malicious remarks about the Hindutva ideologue.
In his petition, Satyaki Savarkar alleged that Gandhi had made the remarks “fully knowing the said allegations to be untrue, with the specific objective of harming the reputation and to defame the surname Savarkar…”
The case was being heard before the Judicial Magistrate First Class Akshi Jain but was transferred in September to the special court for trial of criminal cases against legislators.
On Friday, the court permanently exempted Gandhi from appearing for future hearings, Pawar said, adding that Congress leader Mohan Joshi stood as a surety for him.
The next hearing is scheduled for January 18.
Satyaki Savarkar has sought stringent punishment for Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which prescribes a maximum two-year jail term for...
