Rahul Gandhi pleads not guilty in defamation case over remarks on Savarkar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pleaded not guilty before a Pune Magistrate’s court in a defamation case filed by Satyakey Ashok Savarkar, grandnephew of Hindutva leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

The defamation complaint was filed last year by Satyakey Savarkar, accusing Rahul Gandhi of making defamatory remarks against him in 2023.

The Congress leader had submitted an application seeking permission to record his plea through his lawyer Milind Pawar. The advocate representing Savarkar pointed out that the court had already granted a permanent exemption from Gandhi’s personal appearance and requested an appropriate order.

Magistrate A S Shinde observed that an accused’s presence is not mandatory and the court has the discretion to allow



representation. Accordingly, Pawar was permitted to enter the witness box and record Gandhi’s plea.

The Magistrate then read out the allegations of defamation based on a statement Gandhi made at a 2013 gathering of the Overseas Congress in the United Kingdom, which was uploaded on his social media on March 5, 2013.

After explaining the particulars of the offence under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code, the Magistrate asked Pawar if Gandhi understood the charges, to which he replied in the affirmative. When asked if Gandhi pleaded guilty, Pawar responded, "No. I do not plead guilty."

With Gandhi denying the charges, a full trial will proceed. The court has scheduled the recording of evidence against Gandhi to begin on July 29.