Pune:
A Pune court has called Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case, which relates to his comment on Freedom Fighter VD Savarkar. The court has requested that Rahul Gandhi be present on 9 May.
The case was filed against Rahul Gandhi by a relative of VD Savarkar when he made a statement about Freedom Fighter in London some time ago.
Mr. Gandhi had said, “He (Savarkar and his friends) felt a Muslim and felt happy. If five people beat a person and someone is happy, it is cowardice. Fifteen people are beating a person with Savarrji. It is also in his ideology.”
In another case against Rahul Gandhi on this issue, the Supreme Court on Friday warned the Congress MP not to make controversial remarks against freedom fighters in future; Otherwise, he will “face the results.”
‘Does Rahul Gandhi know that his grandmother Indira Gandhi wrote a letter praising Savarkar,’ SC slammed him for comment
Did Rahul Gandhi know that his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wrote a letter praising Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the apex court said, while warning the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Dutta and Manmohan rejected Mr. Gandhi’s comments against Sadarkar.
Justice Dutta also asked senior advocate Abhishek Manu Sinhali to be present for Mr. Gandhi, if Mahatma Gandhi can only be called a servant of the British, as he used the word “your loyal servant” in his letters to the Viceroy.
Justice Dutt told Singhvi, “Is your client know that Mahatma Gandhi used your loyal servant while addressing the Viceroy? Does your client know that his grandmother, when she was the Prime Minister, sent a letter to someone while praising Sajjan (Savarkar).”
You cannot give such statements without knowing the history and geography of freedom fighters, the bench further said.
Do not give him a irresponsible statement about freedom fighters. Do you treat freedom fighters in this way?
Justice Dutta further said, “Come on, it is clear, no other statement and we will not raise any question of Suu Moto and Approval. We will not allow you to speak about freedom fighters. They have given us freedom.”
The bench then stayed its comments against Savarkar in a Lucknow court and banned the pending criminal defamation proceedings against Mr. Gandhi.
However, the bench said that it was keen to continue the action, but on the condition that it would not make any such statement in future.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
