Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer on Wednesday claimed in a Pune Court that his client is facing a threat to life, given his recent political battles and the lineage of complainant Satyaki Savarkar
in the defamation case against him.
The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition’s lawyer, Advocate Milind Pawar claimed in an application before the special court for cases against MPs and MLAs during the hearing of a defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grand-nephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, against the Congress leader, news agency PTI reported.
However, the Congress party denied such claims and said that the lawyer had filed a written statement in court, citing a threat to Gandhi’s life without consulting him or obtaining his consent.
राहुल गांधी जी के वकील ने बिना उनसे बात किए या उनकी सहमति लिए अदालत में लिखित बयान दाखिल करके उनकी जान पर खतरे का हवाला दिया था.
इस बात से राहुल जी की घोर असहमति है.
इसलिए कल उनके वकील इस लिखित बयान को कोर्ट से वापस लेंगे.
यह रहा उनका वक्तव्य👇 pic.twitter.com/guKU97ldrL
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) August 13, 2025
Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said that the Lok Sabha LoP strongly disagrees with the claim, and therefore, tomorrow, his lawyer will withdraw this written statement from the court.
The case, the trial of which is yet to start, pertains to certain comments allegedly made by Rahul Gandhi against V D Savarkar, freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue.
The application — filed before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde by Gandhi’s lawyer Adv Milind Pawar — said that 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.
Pawar said that the Congress party has filed a separate application in court to place certain important developments on judicial record so that the entire political and historical context can be seen as a whole.
“For the past 15 days, our client Rahul Gandhi has been leading a protest against the Election Commission. While this agitation was ongoing during the parliament session, there was a verbal exchange between the Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi over the word ‘Hindutva’ – all of which is on record,” the Congress MP’s lawyer said.
Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and recently held a press conference in New Delhi, placing before the nation evidence of electoral fraud by the Election Commission, 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.
The court has already granted bail to Gandhi in the case.
Reacting to the plea, Satyaki Savarkar said it was frivolous, and filed with the intention of delaying the trial. ”The facts mentioned in the application by Gandhi have nothing to do with the present case,” he told reporters.
Satyaki Savarkar has filed a complaint against Gandhi, alleging that in a speech made in London in March 2023, the Congress leader claimed that 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.
She disputed the existence of such an account in Savarkar’s published works and moved the Court contending the remarks were false, misleading and defamatory. She has sought Gandhi’s conviction under Section 500 IPC and compensation under Section 357 CrPC.
(With inputs from agencies)
