A special court in Pune has issued a stern warning to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that he cannot comment on any judicial order, especially those which he has not been able to challenge or which have been finally passed. The court has issued this direction in the ongoing defamation case regarding alleged remarks on VD Savarkar. The court clearly said that the order will either have to be accepted or challenged in the appropriate court.
This case is related to an alleged statement of Rahul Gandhi in London in March 2023, in which he had claimed that VD Savarkar had written in his book that he and some of his comrades had beaten up a Muslim man. Savarkar’s great grandson Satyaki Savarkar has filed a defamation case regarding this. Satyaki alleges that no such incident was written by Savarkar nor did it ever happen.
No comment on the order – Court order
During the hearing, Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer Milind Pawar filed an application saying that the summons issued in 2023 was not issued “on the basis of proper evidence” but in an “atmosphere of undue pressure and haste”. On this, lawyer Sangram Kolhatkar, on behalf of Satyaki, expressed strong opposition and said that it is unfair to raise questions on the functioning of the court. Special Judge Amol S. Shinde also admitted that the application raises doubts on the functioning of the court.
accept or challenge order
Judge Shinde said that if Rahul Gandhi had any objection to the order issuing summons, he should have challenged that order in the higher court. He directed that by commenting on such cases, court orders cannot be put in the dock. The court said that either accept the order or challenge it, but will not comment on the final or unchallenged order of the court.
Savarkar family’s complaint
Satyaki Savarkar told the court that the statement given by Rahul Gandhi was baseless and had harmed the reputation of his family and VD Savarkar. He claimed that Gandhi deliberately made false statements, which sent a wrong message to the society. According to the complainant, Savarkar never wrote such statement or description in any of his books.
Rejecting Rahul Gandhi’s objection regarding issuing summons, the court clearly indicated that now the hearing of the case will proceed on the basis of allegations. The court’s direction also clarifies the judicial scope related to banning the comments of the accused. Now in the next hearing the court will further consider the evidence and testimonies related to the defamation case. Meanwhile, this direction of the court has also become a topic of discussion in political circles.
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