MUMBAI: Congress Lok Sabha MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday told a Pune court that he was unable to attend proceedings due to threats to his life, citing his exposure of vote theft and his slogan, “Vote chor sarkar”.A criminal defamation case has been filed against the Congress leader in Pune’s special court for his remarks against Veer Savarkar. The case was lodged by Satyaki Savarkar over Gandhi’s speech in London in March 2023, in which he claimed that Savarkar had said an assault on a Muslim man was “found or pleasurable”.Satyaki Savarkar challenged this statement, asserting that Savarkar had not written any such thing, and called Gandhi’s speech false, misleading, and defamatory. He has sought Gandhi’s conviction under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code and compensation under Section 357 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.Gandhi’s lawyer, Milind Pawar, highlighted in court that the Congress leader’s safety was under threat, especially after his allegations of electoral malpractice.In his application, it was also stated that given the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant’s lineage, there was “a clear, reasonable appreciation that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting, so history should not repeat itself.” Gandhi also sought preventive protection from the state.
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