Lucknow Court Summons Rahul Gandhi As Accused In Complaint Case Over 'Derogatory' Remark On Savarkar

A CJM Court in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow district has summoned Congress MP and LoP in Loksabha, Rahul Gandhi, as an accused in a complaint case filed over his alleged 'derogatory' remark against Vinayak Damodar Savarkar made during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in November 2022 in Maharashtra's Akola.

The Court has found that Gandhi had spread hatred and ill will in society through his speech and by disturbing pamphlets before the speech at a press conference, wherein he allegedly said that Savarkar was a servant of the British and that he took a pension from the British.

"Distributing previously printed pamphlets and leaflets at press conferences demonstrates that #RahulGandhi had weakened and insulted the basic characteristics of the nation by spreading hatred and enmity in the society", Addl. Civil Judge (Sr.Div.)/ACJM, Lucknow, Alok Verma said in his order passed on Thursday.

Against this backdrop, finding a prima facie case against Gandhi, the Court has now summoned him for January 10, 2025, to face charges under Section 153A and 505 IPC. 

The order has been passed on a complaint case filed by Advocate Nripendra Pandey claiming that Gandhi, with the intention of spreading hatred in the society called the nationalist Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a servant of the British, adding that he took a pension from the British.

"Kantiveer Damodar, the great leader of the nationalist ideology, was a fearless freedom fighter in the history of independence, who endured the inhuman atrocities of the British to free Mother India from their slavery, and Gandhi insulted Savarkar ji using indecent words and made hateful utterances to spread inferiority complex towards Savarkar ji...," the plea stated.

His complaint was earlier dismissed in June 2023, challenging the said order, Pandey had moved a revision petition before the Sessions Court. His revision was allowed as the ASJ/MP-MLA Court had noted that the revision was liable to be admitted as it involved questions of law and fact. The case was then transferred to the ACJM Court.

Now, hearing his complaint plea again, the Court found that a prima facie case was made out against Gandhi, and thus, he has been summoned to face charges as aforesaid.

In related news, a Special Court in Pune recently ordered Rahul Gandhi to remain present before it on December 2, to attend the proceedings of the defamation complaint filed against him for allegedly defaming late right-wing leader Vinayak Savarkar by making objectionable comments against him in a speech he delivered in the United Kingdom.

Special MP/MLA court Judge Amol Shinde had in October, issued summons to Gandhi to appear before the court personally so as to answer the charge under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) initiated against him by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Savarkar.