Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's lawyer Milind Pawar has withdrawn a plea from a local court in Pune claiming 'threat to life' for the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha from the followers of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Pawar said the court has accepted the withdrawal of the plea.
Pawar is representing Gandhi in a defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grand-nephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, over certain remarks by the former Congress president against the late freedom fighter. Later, Pawar claimed a threat to life to Gandhi by the followers of Savarkar.
'Rahul Gandhi expressed his disappointment'
Hours later, Pawar made a U-turn and said he would withdraw the plea as it was filed without the consent of Gandhi. The Congress MP has taken a "strong exception to the filing of this Pursis and expressed his disagreement with its contents", Pawar said in a release on Wednesday evening.
'Lawyer acted without consulting Rahul'
The Congress also said that Pawar acted without consulting Gandhi or "obtaining his consent". In a statement on Wednesday, the grand old party said Gandhi "disagrees with this action", adding that Pawar would soon withdraw the plea.
About the defamation case:
Satyaki Savarkar had filed a defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi, alleging that in a speech made in London in March 2023, the Congress leader claimed V D Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy.
The application filed by Pawar earlier on Wednesday said complainant Satyaki Savarkar had admitted that he is also a direct descendant, through maternal lineage, of Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse, principal accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Furthermore, during the parliamentary debate on the subject of Hindutva, there was a heated exchange between the Prime Minister and Shri Rahul Gandhi, a matter well known to the public. Against this backdrop, there is little doubt that the complainant, his great-grandfathers (the Godses), those connected with the ideology of Vinayak Savarkar, and some followers of Savarkar who are presently in power, may harbour hostility or resentment towards Gandhi," the application said.
"In light of the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant's lineage, and considering the prevailing political climate, there exists a clear, reasonable, and substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting by persons subscribing to the ideology of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar," the application stated.
(With PTI inputs)
