The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi informed a Pune court on Wednesday about a possible threat to his life.

Rahul urged the special MP/MLA court, hearing a defamation case filed against him, to take judicial notice of “grave apprehensions” to his safety in the wake of his recent political statements and the defamation case filed by VD Savarakar’s descendant and sought “preventive protection”.

The Congress MP’s application was filed by his counsel Milind Dattatreya Pawar,

“Preventive protection is not only prudent but is a constitutional obligation upon the state,” says the plea, according to Bar and Bench. “In view of the grave history associated with such lineage, the defence harbours a genuine and reasonable apprehension that history must not be permitted to repeat itself.”

The defamation case is being heard by first class special judge Amol Shinde in Pune.

Rahul is currently out on bail in the defamation case, filed by one Satyaki Savarkar.

The plea also referred to his speech in Parliament in which he said, "A true Hindu is never violent. A Hindu cannot spread hatred. The BJP spreads hatred and violence, and you do not represent Hindus.”

In his public speeches and interviews, Rahul has often stated that his and the Congress’ battle with the RSS, BJP and other members of the Sangh Parivaar was an ideological one.

In his application, Rahul also said the move was a “protective and precautionary measure for safeguarding the fairness, integrity and transparency of the present proceedings.”

Rahul reminded the court that in a written statement submitted on July 29, Satyaki Savarkar had admitted to be a direct descendant of Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse, through his maternal family lineage, and also claimed to be a descendant of Savarkar.

“Given the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant’s lineage… there exists a clear, reasonable and substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication or other form of targeting,” the court was informed.

The plea states, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi – carried out by Nathuram Godse – was not an act of impulse; rather it was the calculated outcome of a conspiracy, rooted in a specific ideology culminating in deliberate violence against an unarmed person.

Last Thursday, Rahul addressed a news conference where he presented “evidence” in support of his claim of electoral roll manipulation, which he had specifically raised after the Congress’ performance in the Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls.

In his application to the court, Rahul has reportedly provided details of his recent flagging the voter list issue, which he claims triggered hostility from political rivals.

The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha mentioned a news conference addressed by Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accusing him of insulting Hindus and lowering the dignity of the position of leader of Opposition.

He also cited two alleged threats issued by Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, where he had allegedly called Rahul the “number one terrorist of the country”.

Rahul’s grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi, both Prime Ministers, had been assassinated.

The matter will come up for hearing again on September 10.