A Pune Court has summoned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, ordering him to appear on August 19 in connection with a defamation complaint regarding his allegedly defamatory statements about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar during a visit to the United Kingdom.
The complaint was filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Judicial magistrate Akshi Jain passed the order on May 30, issuing process under Section 204 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Prior to this, the judge had instructed the Pune police to investigate the defamation complaint as per Section 202, CrPC.
The police submitted their inquiry report to the judge on May 27. Consequently, the judicial magistrate acknowledged the complaint and initiated proceedings against Gandhi.
The defamation complaint alleges that Gandhi has been “repeatedly defaming” Savarkar on various occasions over the years.
One notable incident occurred on March 5, 2023, when Gandhi addressed a gathering of the Overseas Congress in the United Kingdom. The complainant claimed that Gandhi made baseless accusations against Savarkar, knowing them to be false, with the intent to damage his reputation.
Additionally, the complainant asserted that Gandhi’s remarks were made deliberately to cause mental distress to him and his family.
The complaint, filed before a chief judicial magistrate in Pune, mentioned that although the allegedly defamatory speech was delivered by Gandhi in England, its impact was felt in Pune as it was published and circulated throughout India.
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