Pune: Rahul Gandhi has been summoned to present his statement in court on October 4 concerning allegations of making derogatory remarks about freedom fighter Swatantyaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
The order was issued by Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Akshi Jain, who had previously directed Gandhi to appear on August 19, a hearing that ultimately did not take place.
The case stems from comments made by Gandhi during a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) gathering in London, where he allegedly made controversial statements about Veer Savarkar.
Following these remarks, Satyaki Savarkar, the grandson of Veer Savarkar, filed a defamation lawsuit in the court. The court subsequently ordered a detailed investigation into the matter, with the police instructed to submit a report.
The police faced criticism for delaying the submission of the report, which led the court to issue a notice. Eventually, the police submitted a report affirming the substance of Satyaki Savarkar's complaint.
Based on this, the court ordered Gandhi to present his statement, which was initially scheduled for August 19 but has now been postponed to October 4. On this date, Gandhi is expected to clarify his position in court.
In December 2019, the then Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis had demanded an "unconditional apology" from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his 'My name is not Rahul Savarkar' remark. "He does not seem to have studied India's history of the Independence movement," Fadnavis had said.
