`Defamation' of Savarkar: court says it can't compel Rahul Gandhi to produce `book' cited by him
The Congress leader cannot be compelled to produce the book, said judge Amol Shinde of the special court for MPs and MLAs.
Pune, July 3 (PTI) A court here on Thursday rejected a plea by the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar seeking access to a `book' cited by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while allegedly making defamatory remarks against the late freedom fighter.
The court, in its order, said the accused cannot be compelled to disclose his defense before the commencement of the trial.
'The accused may produce any relevant documents during the presentation of his defense evidence. If the accused is compelled to produce such evidence prematurely, it would amount to violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 20(3) of the Constitution of India, which protects against self-incrimination,' the order stated.
'As per Article 20(3)…'No person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself. Therefore, this Court is of the opinion that an order cannot be passed directing the accused to file the incriminating documents,' the judge further said.
Satyaki Savarkar has filed a defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi, citing his speech in London in March 2023. As per the complaint, the Congress MP claimed during the speech 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'.
No such incident ever took place, nor did Savarkar write any such account, Satyaki Savarkar said in his defamation complaint. PTI SPK KRK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Owaisi's party AIMIM writes to Lalu for alliance in Bihar
Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM has expressed its willingness to join the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, which currently includes the RJD, Congress and Left parties, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. AIMIM's Bihar state president Akhtarul Iman, the party's lone MLA in the state, has written to RJD president Lalu Prasad, formally requesting inclusion in the grand alliance. In a letter dated July 2, which party leaders have shared on social media, Iman has said the inclusion of AIMIM in Bihar's prototype of INDIA bloc "will prevent a split in secular votes". "This will ensure that the next government in the state is formed by the Mahagathbandhan", Iman has claimed, adding that his party had tried to join the coalition in the last Assembly polls, too, and this time he (Owaisi) has already expressed his wish to "leaders of the Congress and the Left over the phone". In the 2020 assembly elections, the AIMIM contested in alliance with former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the now-defunct Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) headed by former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, who is now in the NDA. Live Events The AIMIM had won altogether five seats, all in Seemanchal region, which has a sizeable Muslim population, and is said to have cut into the votes of Mahagathbandhan in several constituencies. The Mahagathbandhan, which is helmed by the RJD, had fallen short of a majority by a dozen seats. Barring Iman, all the remaining MLAs elected on AIMIM tickets joined the RJD in 2022.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Is Election Commission God?': Pappu Yadav's 'do-or-die battle' call as roll revision row heats up
NEW DELHI: , who is a Congress-leaning Independent Lok Sabha MP, made a call for the "do-or-die battle" over the 's (ECI) move to revise the electoral roll as part of its special intensive revision (SIR) ahead of the . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Labelling the poll body as "office of the ," the Purnia MP asked if the "Election Commission was God?" Pappu Yadav, who is a six-time MP, said he would lay his life for "the identity of Bihar and Bihari". "The commission is precisely the office of the RSS and should be stopped. The people are ready to end anything that threatens constitutional responsibility. Talks have been held with the Congress incharge regarding this... Is the Election Commission God?... There will be a battle across the state. And for the identity of Bihar and Bihari, if we have to sacrifice our lives, then we will do it," Pappu Yadav told news agency ANI. Earlier in the day, Congress alleged that the poll body's special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar was a "sinister exercise" to deprive lakhs of voters of their franchise and a clear effort to "destroy" the electoral system in the state. In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation, K C Venugopal, said, "This government specialises in giving people hell. The SIR is a sinister exercise to deprive lakhs of voters of their franchise." "The unnecessary haste, and their absolute refusal to address genuine concerns raised by the Opposition, points to this being a clear effort to destroy the electoral system in Bihar," he said. "We will not let this go through. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They must halt this ridiculous exercise immediately," Venugopal said. On Wednesday, leaders of several INDIA bloc parties met the EC over the SIR issue and raised concerns over its timing, alleging that over two crore voters of the state may be disenfranchised by this mammoth exercise being done just ahead of assembly elections. The Election Commission on Thursday said it has decoded the entire exercise to a group of opposition parties to assuage their fears. While the EC said that the revision, happening after 22 years, is in line with the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, opposition parties claim the timing is suspiciously close to the assembly polls and could "skew the voter base". The opposition has maintained that a revision this close to elections casts doubt on the EC's intentions. However, contrary to their protests, opposition parties have gone all in. The RJD has deployed 47,143 BLAs, second only to BJP's 51,964. Congress has appointed 8,586, while Left outfits like CPI(ML), CPM, and CPI have sent in their own agents. On the NDA side, JDU, LJP, and RLSP have mobilised more than 30,000 BLAs in total.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Congress demands judicial probe into Kottayam Medical College building collapse
Kottayam: The Congress party in Kerala on Friday demanded a judicial probe into the Kottayam Medical College building collapse incident. The building in the government medical college collapsed on Thursday morning, killing a woman and injuring two people. State Congress president Sunny Joseph and numerous other state party leaders reached the hospital complex to see for themselves what happened. "We demand a judicial probe into the entire episode. District Collector is conducting a probe, but it is not acceptable as he is also indirectly involved and hence a probe by him will not suffice," said Joseph. "We also demand that adequate compensation be given to the family of the 56-year-old Bindhu, who died in the incident. Bindhu's daughter is studying nursing, and the state government should make fee arrangements and ensure she is given a government job. Bindhu visited the hospital for her daughter's surgery. The state government should bear the expense of the treatment," said Joseph. Joseph strongly condemned the police for registering a case against party legislator Chandy Oommen, who was at the site of the tragedy and was demanding urgent rescue operations. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the state Health Department under Minister Veena George is on a ventilator. "The best way out for George is to resign, as under her, no action has been taken on rejuvenating the health sector," said Satheesan. Meanwhile, at the partially completed home of Bindhu, her son was crestfallen as he had received his first salary, which he wanted to hand over to his mother. "I am sick and am unable to do any work, while it was Bindhu who used to get Rs 300 per day, who was running our home. Our son got his first salary on Thursday and was waiting to give it to Bindhu. Till 10 a.m., she was with me. This should not happen to anyone," wailed Bindhu's husband. The Kottayam District Collector on Friday reached the home of Bindhu and assured that the government will do everything it can. Meanwhile security of Health Minister George has been stepped up on Friday morning, who is facing backlash from political parties. The maximum ire is against her and State Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan, as both reached the spot after hearing about the collapse of the building and categorically stated that only two people have suffered minor injuries. "The ministers claimed that the building was not in use. It was Oommen who was present at the scene, intervened and raised an alarm, and after that, rescue operations began," the Congress party in Kerala said. With the Vijayan government on the back foot, the media have now been barred from entering the collapsed building site. The Congress party has decided to start a protest from July 8 against the "failure" of the Vijayan government to address various health sector issues. State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said this was a tragedy that could have been avoided. "This tragedy is what we see as an honour killing, as two State Ministers were there and they failed to act, which resulted in the death of Bindhu. The state government should file a case against both these Ministers, and we are launching a protest to see that it's done," said Chandrasekhar.
