The Supreme Court on Friday expressed disapproval of the comments made by the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi against VD Savarkar.
The Supreme Court on Friday expressed disapproval of the comments made by the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi against VD Savarkar.
Though the top court stayed the criminal defamation proceedings pending against Rahul Gandhi in a Lucknow Court over his comments against Savarkar, it warned that if he made any such comments in the future, "suo motu" action will be taken against him.
A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Manmohan heard the matter. Justice Datta took objection to Rahul Gandhi's statement that Savarkar was a servant of the British. Justice Datta asked if Mahatma Gandhi could be called the servant of the Britishers merely because he used the term "your faithful servant" in his letters to the Viceroy.
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"Does your client know Mahatma Gandhi also used "your faithful servant" while addressing the Viceroy? Does your client know that his grandmother, when she was the Prime Minister, also sent a letter praising the gentleman(Savarkar), the freedom fighter?" Justice Datta asked Senior Advocate AM Singhvi, who was representing Gandhi, according to Live Law.
"Let him not make irresponsible statements about the freedom fighters. Is this the way you treat freedom fighters?," Justice Datta asked.
"He is a political leader of a political party? You go to Maharashtra and make a statement, he is worshipped there. Don't do this," Justice Datta said.
"We will grant you stay..but we will restrain you. Let's be clear, any further statement and we will take suo moto and no question of sanction! We will not allow you to speak anything about ...the freedom fighters. They have given us freedom," Justice Datta said.
Rahul Gandhi was summoned by the court as an accused in December last year over his speech at a press conference, where he allegedly said that Savarkar was a servant of the British and that he took a pension from the British.
A complaint case was filed by Advocate Nripendra Pandey claiming that Gandhi, with the intention of spreading hatred in the society, called Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a servant of the British and that he took a pension from the British.
