Trial set to begin in Savarkar defamation case after Rahul Gandhi formally pleads 'not guilty'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday entered a 'not guilty' plea before the Special MP/MLA Court in Pune in the criminal defamation case filed against him by Satyaki Savarkar, the grand-nephew of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar [Satyaki Savarkar v Rahul Gandhi].

Judicial Magistrate First Class Amol Shinde recorded the plea through advocate Milind Pawar, who appeared on Gandhi’s behalf.

With the plea formally recorded, the matter is now set to proceed to trial.

The case stems from a speech delivered by Gandhi in London in March 2023, during which he allegedly referred to an incident described in Savarkar’s writings.

Gandhi reportedly claimed that Savarkar, along with others, had assaulted a Muslim man and found the act “pleasurable.”

Satyaki Savarkar disputed the existence of any such account in Savarkar’s published works and initiated criminal proceedings, alleging that Gandhi’s statement was factually incorrect, misleading and defamatory. According to the complaint, the remarks not only distorted historical facts but also damaged the reputation of Vinayak Savarkar.

He moved the Court seeking Gandhi’s conviction under Section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code along with compensation under Section 357 CrPC.

Earlier in May this year, the Court had allowed Gandhi's request to convert the case from a summary trial to a summons trial, a procedural change that permits the introduction of broader documentary and historical evidence — a move Gandhi justified by claiming his remarks were based on verifiable historical sources.

Advocate Milind Pawar appeared for Gandhi.

Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar appeared for Savarkar.

[Read Order]