Savarkar defamation case: Rahul Gandhi disowns 'threat to life' plea; Congress says lawyer 'acted without consent'
Rahul Gandhi
's advocate filed a statement citing a "threat to his life" without consulting the leader or obtaining his consent.
In a social media post on X, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said that Rahul "strongly disagrees" with the statement and that his lawyer will withdraw the application on Thursday.
"Rahul Gandhi's lawyer had filed a written statement in court citing a threat to his life without consulting him or obtaining his consent," Shrinate said.
"Rahul Gandhi strongly disagrees with this action. Therefore, his lawyer will withdraw this written statement from the court tomorrow," she added.
Shrinate also attached Rahul's lawyer Milind Pawar's statement in which he said that the contents of the application were drafted by him without consulting Rahul.
This comes hours after Pawar, in a written application, told a Pune court that Rahul is facing a "threat to life" from the complainant in a defamation case related to his remarks against Savarkar, Bar and Bench reported.
In the application submitted to the court, it was said that the complainant is a direct descendant of Nathuram Godse and that 'preventive protection is not only prudent but is a constitutional obligation upon the State."
"Given the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant's lineage… there exists a clear, reasonable, and substantial apprehension that Shri Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting,' it was submitted.
'In view of the grave history associated with such lineage, the defence harbours a genuine and reasonable apprehension that history must not be permitted to repeat itself,' it added.
Reacting to the plea, Satyaki Savarkar said it was frivolous, and filed with the intention of delaying the trial. "The facts mentioned in the application by Gandhi have nothing to do with the present case," he told reporters.
What is the case about?
Satyaki Savarkar has filed a complaint against Gandhi, alleging that in a speech made in London in March 2023, the Congress leader claimed that V D Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy.
Satyaki Savarkar said no such incident ever took place, and that V D Savarkar never wrote any such thing anywhere.
He has sought Gandhi's conviction under Section 500 IPC and compensation under Section 357 CrPC.
The court has already granted bail to Rahul in the case.
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