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Court hears plea seeking Rahul Gandhi’s personal appearance in defamation case
he matter traces back to August 13, 2025, when Gandhi filed a Pursis citing alleged threats to his life and remarks interpreted by Savarkar as an attack on the ideology of Veer Savarkar and his lineage
The Special Court in Pune on Monday heard an application filed by Satyaki Savarkar seeking directions for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s personal appearance in a pending defamation case. The plea, dated September 10, also contained four additional requests.
Appearing for Gandhi, Advocate Milind Pawar opposed the application, calling it “misconceived, vague and ambiguous.” The defence sought more time to file a detailed reply, arguing that the complainant had not cited any statutory provision or procedural rule under which the plea was moved, a lapse they said was “critical” to evaluating its legal validity.
“The application is inherently defective, contrary to law, and liable to be rejected in limine,” the defence submitted. It urged the court to direct the complainant to clarify the statutory basis for the application and to grant the defence a reasonable opportunity to reply on the merits.
A key point of contention was prayer clause (b), where Savarkar demanded Gandhi’s personal presence before the court. Pawar argued the seven-page plea raised “several factual as well as legal issues” that needed scrutiny.
The matter traces back to August 13, 2025, when Gandhi filed a Pursis citing alleged threats to his life and remarks interpreted by Savarkar as an attack on the ideology of Veer Savarkar and his lineage. The defence withdrew the Pursis the same day, issuing a press statement that it was filed “without instructions” from Gandhi.
Despite the withdrawal, Savarkar moved the present application, which the defence insists is untenable due to the lack of an enabling provision and the earlier withdrawal of the Pursis.
The court has fixed the next hearing for October 3, 2025. The defamation case, filed under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), stems from Gandhi’s speech in March 2023, where he allegedly claimed Savarkar had written about deriving pleasure from assaulting a Muslim man, an allegation the complainant has dismissed as baseless and defamatory.
