A Pune court on Friday granted bail to Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, in a defamation case related to alleged remarks against Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Rahul appeared before the MP/MLA court, presided over by special judge Amol Shinde, via video conferencing.
The court granted him bail on a surety bond of ₹25,000, with Congress leader Mohan Joshi from Pune standing as surety.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Savarkar’s grandnephew, Satyaki Savarkar, before a magistrate court in Pune. The complaint accused Rahul Gandhi of making defamatory remarks about Savarkar during a speech in London on March 5, 2023. The case was later transferred to the MP/MLA court.
Despite the court’s directive for Rahul to “personally appear,” he had missed previous hearings. His lawyer, Milind Pawar, explained that Rahul’s absence was due to election campaigns in different states and the Winter Session of Parliament.
Subsequently, Satyaki’s lawyer, Sangram Kolhatkar, filed an application seeking a non-bailable warrant against Rahul and action under IPC Section 174 (non-appearance).
Advocate Pawar argued that as LoP in the Lok Sabha, Rahul’s presence in Parliament was critical, requesting exemption from personal appearance. The court granted the exemption and ordered Rahul to appear on January 10.
On Friday morning, Advocate Pawar informed the court that Rahul would appear virtually. Submitting citations and rules from various High Courts and the Supreme Court, Pawar argued that virtual appearances were permissible.
However, Advocate Kolhatkar contended there was no provision allowing an accused’s first appearance to be virtual. He referred to a Maharashtra government notification dated December 19, 2024, on the “High Court of Bombay Rules for Video Conferencing for Courts 2022.”
After hearing both sides, the court rejected Kolhatkar’s application. At around 5:15 PM, Rahul Gandhi appeared via video conferencing.
Kolhatkar objected, stating that no “coordinator” for video conferencing had been appointed under Rule 5 of the aforementioned rules. The court dismissed this objection, citing “exceptional circumstances” under the rules, including concerns about “law and order and matters relating to the safety of the accused.”
Advocate Pawar then filed applications for bail and exemption from future appearances on Rahul’s behalf. The court granted both applications.
The court informed Rahul that the next hearing is scheduled for February 18.
In his petition, Satyaki alleged that Rahul Gandhi had intentionally made “false, malicious, and wild” statements against Savarkar. The complaint included news reports and a YouTube video link of Rahul’s London speech as evidence. Following the court’s directions, the Vishrambag police station conducted an inquiry and submitted a report on May 27, 2024, alleging that Rahul Gandhi had defamed Savarkar during his address to the Indian diaspora in London.
