Rahul Gandhi's Representative Withdraws Plea Over Savarkar Threat Allegations

PUNE, AUG 14 (PTI) - Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's legal representative, Milind Pawar, retracted a plea from a Pune court on Thursday, which alleged a potential threat to the parliamentarian from followers of the Hindutva thinker, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Pawar affirmed that the court accepted the withdrawal of this plea. On Wednesday, shortly after the plea's submission, Pawar revealed it was filed without Rahul Gandhi's consent and would be withdrawn.

Pawar is defending Rahul Gandhi in a defamation suit initiated by Satyaki Savarkar, the grand-nephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, concerning remarks made by the Congress MP about the late freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue.

The lawyer, in a press release on Wednesday evening, stated that he composed the application without Gandhi's consultation, prompting Gandhi to express strong opposition to the filing of this Pursis and disagreement with its contents.

The initially filed application noted that complainant Satyaki Savarkar acknowledged his direct descent, via maternal lineage, from Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse, the principal accused in Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.

The document also mentioned Gandhi's role as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and his recent press conference in Delhi, where he presented allegations of electoral fraud by the Election Commission.

The plea further stated, "During the parliamentary debate on Hindutva, a heated exchange occurred between the Prime Minister and Shri Rahul Gandhi, known to the public. Given this context, it is likely that hostility or resentment may exist towards Gandhi from the complainant, his great-grandfathers (the Godses), and individuals linked to Vinayak Savarkar's ideology, who currently hold power."

"Considering the documented history of violent tendencies associated with the complainant's lineage and the current political climate, there exists a reasonable and significant apprehension that Rahul Gandhi might experience harm, false implication, or other forms of targeting by individuals adhering to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's ideology," the plea asserted.

The Pune court has granted bail to Gandhi in the defamation case, with the trial yet to commence.

Satyaki Savarkar filed the defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi, alleging that during a speech in London in March 2023, Gandhi claimed V D Savarkar wrote about beating a Muslim man with friends, feeling happy about it.

The complaint refuted this, claiming no such incident occurred and V D Savarkar never documented such an account.

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