A special court in Pune has summoned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The complaint accuses Gandhi of making objectionable remarks about the Hindutva ideologue. 

The court, after issuing the summons on Friday, has directed Gandhi to appear on October 23. The case, originally lodged by Satyaki Savarkar last year in the Pune court, was transferred last month from the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) to the special court for MPs and MLAs.

Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, representing Satyaki Savarkar.

As per the online portals, the special court for MPs and MLAs, presided over by Joint Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, issued a summons to Rahul Gandhi. The court stated that Gandhi's presence is required on October 23 to respond to charges under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (defamation).

Satyaki Savarkar's complaint stems from a speech Gandhi made in London in March 2023, where he allegedly claimed that VD Savarkar had written about an incident where he and his friends assaulted a Muslim man, expressing happiness over the event. According to Satyaki Savarkar, no such event occurred, and VD Savarkar never made such statements in any of his writings, calling Gandhi's claims "fictitious, false, and malicious."

Following the complaint, the court ordered an investigation, and the Vishrambaug police station's inquiry found prima facie evidence supporting the allegations.