‘This is not how you treat freedom fighters’: SC pulls up Rahul Gandhi over remarks on Veer Savarkar

File photograph of Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Allahabad excessive court docket order refusing to quash summons to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in reference to the defamation case regarding his remarks about Veer Savarkar.
During the listening to, the apex court docket issued a stern reminder to the chief of opposition stating that Savarkar is revered in Maharashtra and warned of penalties for making disparaging remarks about freedom fighters.
The court docket, notably, referenced historic context, declaring that Rahul Gandhi’s grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had written a letter praising Savarkar.
“Does your client know that his grandmother, when she was the Prime Minister, also sent a letter to the praising the gentleman. So, let’s not make irresponsible statements about freedom fighters,” the Supreme Court requested senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, showing for Rahul.
“This is not how you treat freedom fighters when you don’t know anything about the history and geography of the country,” the apex court docket stated.
The court docket additionally drew a parallel to Mahatma Gandhi’s correspondence throughout the British period, the place he used the phrase “your faithful servant.”
The case stems from Gandhi’s controversial statements about Savarkar throughout a Bharat Jodo Yatra rally in Maharashtra’s Akola district on November 17, 2022.
Advocate Nripendra Pandey subsequently filed a defamation criticism, contending that Gandhi’s remarks have been intentionally meant to defame Savarkar.