Savarkar Defamation Case: Lawyer Withdraws Plea Claiming ‘Threat’ To Rahul Gandhi

A plea filed in a Pune court claiming that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi faced a threat from followers of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was withdrawn on Thursday by his lawyer, Milind Pawar.

The court accepted the withdrawal.

Filed Without Gandhi’s Consent

The withdrawal came just a day after the plea was filed. Pawar, who represents Gandhi in a defamation case brought by Satyaki Savarkar — the grand-nephew of V D Savarkar — admitted the application was submitted without consulting Gandhi.

In a press release issued late Wednesday, Pawar stated that the Congress leader had taken “strong exception” to the filing and “expressed his disagreement with its contents.”

Content Of Withdrawn Plea

The withdrawn plea had claimed that Satyaki Savarkar had acknowledged being a direct descendant, through maternal lineage, of Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse — the principal accused in Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

It also pointed to a “heated exchange” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi during a parliamentary debate on Hindutva, asserting that such events, combined with Gandhi’s public statements, could lead to hostility from “followers of Savarkar presently in power.”

The plea further stated, “In light of the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant’s lineage… there exists a clear, reasonable, and substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting.”

The Defamation Case

Rahul Gandhi is facing a defamation complaint from Satyaki Savarkar over remarks allegedly made in London in March 2023. According to the complaint, Gandhi claimed that V D Savarkar had written in a book about beating up a Muslim man with friends and feeling happy about it.

Court has already granted Gandhi bail in the matter, though the trial has not yet begun.

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