Satyaki filed a defamation case against the Congress leader for his statements regarding Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, late Freedom Fighter and Hindutva Ideologue.
Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, Satyaki’s counsel, filed an application before the special court for MLAs/MPs, asking it to issue a strict warning that no application should be filed without instructions from the accused (Gandhi).
On August 13, a “suit” (statement providing information related to cases) was filed by lawyer Milind Pawar who represents Gandhi.
He said there was apprehension regarding the threat to Rahul Gandhi from VD Savarkar’s followers. But hours later, the plea was withdrawn, with Pawar saying he had filed it without the knowledge of Gandhi or his legal team.
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“Though the said Pursis was promptly withdrawn….The matter requires consideration as since inception, the accused’s counsel has filed numerous frivolous, malicious and meaningless applications and Pursis with the intention to harm and harm the image of Savarkar,” Satyaki’s plea read.
The court must summon Gandhi and ask him to file an affidavit confirming that the previous applications and further prosecution in the case were in accordance with its instructions, it said.
“Please order the accused to attest or counter-sign each application, proceed and proceed,” he added.
Advocate Pawar, meanwhile, said he had filed a reply to an application by Satyaki where he prayed the court to call a technical report from the Vishrambaug police station in the city regarding Gandhi’s alleged speech in London which is available on YouTube. The case revolves around the statements made in this speech.
The court has no power to seek such a police report in the state, the reply filed by Gandhi’s lawyer said. Further, since this is a criminal case and not a civil suit, the court does not have the power to issue a restricted injunction for deletion of the YouTube video (as required by Satyaki Savarkar), he added.
The next hearing will take place on September 22.
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Satyaki Savarkar’s defamation suit alleges that in a speech in London in March 2023, Rahul Gandhi claimed that Vd 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.
No such incident ever took place, and VD Savarkar never wrote any such thing, the complaint claimed.
