KEY POINTS
- Pune court summons Rahul Gandhi on May 9 in defamation case filed by Savarkar’s relative over controversial London remarks.
- Supreme Court sternly warns Gandhi to refrain from making irresponsible comments about freedom fighters, citing Indira Gandhi’s praise for Savarkar.
- SC stays defamation case in Lucknow but cautions future statements could trigger suo motu action without requirement of government sanction.
A Pune court has summoned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed over his remarks against freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar (VD) Savarkar. Gandhi has been directed to appear before the court on May 9.
The case was initiated by a relative of VD Savarkar, who objected to Gandhi’s controversial comments made during an event in London some time ago. During his speech, Gandhi had stated, “They (Savarkar and his friends) beat up a Muslim and felt happy. If five people beat up one person and someone is getting happy, then this is cowardice. Fifteen people with Savarkarji are beating one person. This is also in their ideology.”
In a parallel development, the Supreme Court on Friday expressed strong disapproval of Gandhi’s remarks and cautioned him against making irresponsible statements about freedom fighters in the future. The court warned that if Gandhi continued such behavior, he would have to “face consequences.”
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan sharply criticized Gandhi during the hearing. Justice Datta questioned whether Gandhi was aware that his grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had once written a letter praising Savarkar. The court stressed that figures like Savarkar were revered, particularly in Maharashtra.
Justice Datta further pressed senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Gandhi, drawing a comparison: “Does your client know Mahatma Gandhi also used the term ‘your faithful servant’ when addressing the Viceroy? Does that mean he was a servant of the British?” He emphasized that historical figures must be understood in full context before making public statements.
The bench sternly advised, “Let him not make irresponsible statements about the freedom fighters. Is this the way you treat freedom fighters? Savarkar is worshipped in Maharashtra.” Justice Datta made it clear that any future defamatory comments could result in suo motu action without needing government sanction, stating, “We will not allow you to speak about the freedom fighters. They have given us freedom.”
While the Supreme Court stayed the criminal defamation proceedings pending against Gandhi in a Lucknow court related to the same issue, it made it conditional on Gandhi refraining from making similar statements in the future.
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