Savarkar defamation case: Plea in High Court accuses Special Court of trying to determine if Savarkar was ‘brave or coward’
The petitioner, claiming to possess expert knowledge of Savarkar’s life, contended that the subject before the Special Court is limited. He argues the court should only determine whether Savarkar wrote about beating up a Muslim in his books, and not go beyond this aspect.
Pankaj Phadnis, a supporter of Vinayak Savarkar, has filed an interim application in the Bombay High Court demanding a stay on the defamation proceedings initiated against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Mr. Phadnis argues that the Special MP/MLA Court in Pune is exceeding its jurisdiction in determining if Savarkar was brave or cowardly.
The application accuses the Special Court of passing perverse orders and engaging in judicial indiscipline. The court dismissed Mr. Phadnis's request to intervene in the defamation proceedings, imposing a cost of ₹20,000 and stating that the application wasted judicial time. The defamation case concerns remarks made by Mr. Gandhi about Savarkar's actions in his books.
Mr. Phadnis contends that questions of cowardice cannot be decided by a court and that such matters should be left to Parliament and the Government. The interim application is scheduled to come before a division Bench.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
