Nashik Court Grants Bail To Rahul Gandhi In Savarkar Defamation Case, He Pleads Not Guilty

Rahul Gandhi secured bail in Nashik after pleading "not guilty" via video link in a defamation case concerning his 2022 remarks about V.D. Savarkar.

File Photo of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Source : PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was granted bail on Thursday by a court in Nashik, Maharashtra, in a defamation case stemming from his remarks about Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Appearing via video link before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate R.C. Narwadia, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha pleaded "not guilty" to the charges.

The criminal defamation case was filed by Nashik resident Devendra Bhutada, director of an NGO, through his lawyer Manoj Pingle. The complaint was lodged under Sections 500 (defamation) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code.

Following Gandhi's plea, his legal team sought bail, which the court approved on a bond of Rs 15,000, as confirmed by advocate Pingle.

The complainant alleged that during a press conference in Hingoli and a speech delivered in November 2022 as part of his yatra, Gandhi made statements that "harmed Savarkar's reputation." The complaint further asserted that "The speech of the accused along with press statements try to ruin the reputation of the complainant's idol Swatantryaveer Savarkar and his contribution to the society along with his noble work in the pre-independence period."

Specifically, the complaint cited Gandhi's alleged statement that "Savarkar prayed for release with folded hands and later on promised to work for the British government."

It is important to note that Rahul Gandhi is also facing a separate defamation case in Pune, filed by Savarkar's grandnephew, regarding similar statements he made about the late Hindutva ideologue.