A Pune court has issued summons to Rahul Gandhi regarding a defamation case filed by the grandnephew of Savarkar.

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], October 5: A Pune court has summoned Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, requiring him to appear before the court on October 23 in a criminal defamation case brought by the grandnephew of the late Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Sangram Kolhatkar, an attorney representing Satyaki Savarkar, stated that the complaint alleges that the Congress leader made objectionable comments about the Hindutva ideologue during a visit to the UK last year.

Following remarks made by Rahul Gandhi in April 2023, Satyaki Savarkar, the grandson of one of Vinayak Savarkar's brothers, filed a complaint with a Pune magistrate concerning the alleged defamatory comments. These remarks were reportedly made at a gathering in London on March 5, 2023.

The complaint claims that Gandhi intentionally made false and damaging accusations against Savarkar to tarnish his reputation, causing mental distress to Satyaki Savarkar and his family.

Earlier this year, the court instructed the Pune police to investigate the defamation complaint under Section 202 of the CrPC.

On Thursday, Satyaki Savarkar and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders criticized Congress following a statement by Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao about Veer Savarkar's ideology, which included claims of him "consuming beef" despite being a Chitpavan Brahmin.

Ranjit Savarkar, the grandson of Veer Savarkar, remarked that the Congress party's strategy was to defame Savarkar, especially with elections approaching. He asserted that Congress aimed to divide Hindu society into various castes to secure electoral victories, similar to the British policy of "divide and rule."

Ranjit Savarkar also stated that the claims regarding Veer Savarkar "consuming beef" were untrue and indicated that he would file a defamation suit against Gundu Rao for his statement.

"This is a strategy by Congress to repeatedly defame Savarkar, particularly as elections draw near. Rahul Gandhi has done it in the past, and now his leaders are making similar statements. Congress has revealed its true face. They want to split Hindu society into castes to win elections, mirroring the British approach of divide and rule," he asserted.

He added, "The assertion that Savarkar ate beef and supported cow slaughter is false. His original Marathi article stated that cows are incredibly valuable, which is why they are revered. He was also the president of a Gau Raksha Samelan. I will file a defamation suit against him."