Pune court grants bail to Rahul in defamation case linked to Savarkar remarks

Pune: A special court in Pune on Friday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case related to his alleged objectionable remarks on Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar.

The MP/MLA court granted bail to the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on a surety bond of Rs 25,000 after he appeared before it through video conferencing.

Senior Congress leader Mohan Joshi stood as surety before the court.

Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi, said the court also granted permanent exemption to the Congress leader from appearing before it.

The matter will now be heard on February 18, Pawar added.

The case was filed on a complaint of the grandnephew of Savarkar and stemmed from a speech Gandhi gave in London in March 2023, where he made certain remarks on the freedom fighter citing a book written by him.