Pune: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was granted bail on Friday by a Pune special court in a criminal defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The case stems from allegations that Gandhi made defamatory remarks about the late freedom fighter during a speech in London earlier this year.
In his speech, Gandhi allegedly claimed that VD Savarkar had written in a book about an incident where he and his friends assaulted a Muslim man, reportedly expressing happiness over the event. Satyaki Savarkar refuted these allegations, labeling them as “fictitious, false, and malicious” and stating that no such incident or written account existed. He asserted that Gandhi’s statements tarnished the reputation of VD Savarkar, prompting the defamation case.
The Vishrambaug police, following the court’s directive to investigate, found prima facie evidence supporting the defamation charges. Earlier, Gandhi’s lawyer sought exemption from appearing at a December 3 hearing due to the Parliament’s winter session, which the court accepted while cautioning that failure to appear in the next hearing would invite strict action. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 10.
