Supreme Court Quashes Defamation Case Against Rahul Gandhi over Savarkar Remarks
The bench said Uttar Pradesh had not granted sanction for prosecution, ending the criminal defamation case filed by a Lucknow resident.
- On Friday, the Supreme Court quashed a criminal defamation complaint and summons issued against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, citing the absence of required legal sanction for the case.
- The defamation case originated from remarks Gandhi made about Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar during a 2022 rally in Maharashtra's Akola district; complainant Nripendra Pandey alleged the comments were part of a conspiracy to insult him.
- A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu observed that the Uttar Pradesh government's affidavit failed to disclose required sanction, leading the court to void the summons issued by a Lucknow Magistrate.
- Previously, the Allahabad High Court had declined to intervene on April 4, 2025, suggesting Gandhi pursue a sessions court remedy; today's Supreme Court ruling provides significant legal relief and overrides that earlier stance.
- Satyaki Savarkar, a grandnephew of the ideologue, continues pursuing a separate 2023 defamation complaint against Gandhi over remarks made during a speech in London regarding historical accounts of Savarkar.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Supreme Court quashes criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over Savarkar remarks
The Supreme Court quashed the criminal complaint and summons against Rahul Gandhi over his 2022 remarks on Savarkar, noting that the requisite sanction to prosecute him had not been obtained.
Rahul Gandhi's Remarks Against Savarkar: SC Quashes Summon Defamation Complaint
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Supreme Court on Friday quashed a criminal defamation complaint and summons issued against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Lucknow court over his alleged remarks against Vinayak Damodar Savarkar during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra. The court noted that the requisite sanction from the Uttar Pradesh government had not been disclosed. India News | Rahul Gandhi's Remarks Against Savarkar: SC …
SC quashes complaint against Rahul Gandhi over Savarkar remarks
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday, August 14, quashed a criminal case and summons issued against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks describing Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar as a British collaborator. Gandhi had said that Vinayak actively collaborated with the British during their colonial rule in India and even received a pension from them. A criminal hate speech complaint was lodged against him over the remarks, an…
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