Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s legal team will withdraw an application claiming threats to his life in the ongoing Savarkar defamation case. Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi, confirmed that he filed the plea on August 13 without consulting the Congress leader.
In a fresh press statement, Pawar stated, “Rahul Gandhi has taken strong exception to the filing of the plea dated August 13 and has expressed his agreement with the decision to withdraw it.” The application initially cited alleged threats arising from Gandhi’s political confrontations and the familial connections of complainant Satyaki Savarkar in the case.
Rahul Gandhi’s legal team is representing him against a defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Pawar had claimed that the threat stemmed from Savarkar’s maternal lineage. Satyaki Savarkar is the son of Himani Savarkar, daughter of Gopal Godse, one of the accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Pawar highlighted, “The lineage of the complainant’s mother: Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse were two brothers accused in the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case along with Savarkar. The daughter of Gopal Godse is Himani Savarkar, who is the mother of the complainant.”
Pawar also noted that Gandhi had recently raised concerns over alleged “vote theft” by the Election Commission. He claimed that some individuals were unhappy with Gandhi over these issues, stating that two MPs had allegedly threatened the Congress leader, including Ravneet Singh Bittu, who reportedly called Gandhi “the number one terrorist of the country,” and BJP leader Tarvinder Singh Marwah, who allegedly warned Gandhi that he could meet the same fate as his grandmother.
Meanwhile, a perjury application has been filed against Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case. Advocate Kolhatkar, representing Satyaki Savarkar, accused Gandhi of misleading the court. He said, “We had supplied all relevant documents to Rahul Gandhi’s advocate Milind Pawar, who received and signed them before the court. Yet, Gandhi, through his lawyer, has denied receiving any such material, which is a blatant attempt to mislead the court. As the Leader of the Opposition, strict action is demanded.”
The reply from Rahul Gandhi’s legal team is scheduled for September 10.
