A defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, for his remarks on Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Savarkar was closed by a criminal court in Nashik.
Devendra Bhutada, president of the Nashik-based Nirbhaya Foundation, had filed the complaint, claiming Rahul’s remarks on Savarkar made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022 at public meetings in Hingoli and Akole were defamatory and insulting.
The rallies took place on June 15 and June 16 in 2022.
A case was registered under section 499 (defamation) and 504 (intentional insult) of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code and summons were issued by the Nashik court to Rahul in September 2024.
Rahul pleaded not guilty and was granted bail with the permission to attend the proceedings virtually.
The court ordered an inquiry under section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in September 2024. This section allows a magistrate, when the accused resides outside the court’s jurisdiction to inquire into the case himself or assign a police officer to ascertain if there are sufficient grounds for proceeding.
The complainant Bhutada had withdrawn the case after the Nashik police submitted their report.