The Supreme Court quashes a criminal defamation complaint and the summons issued against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks about V.D. Savarkar. The case arises from comments Gandhi makes on November 17, 2022 during his Bharat Jodo Yatra at a rally in Akola district, Maharashtra.
The court’s decision centers on procedural requirements for prosecution. Multiple outlets report that the Supreme Court finds the requisite sanction to prosecute Gandhi has not been obtained, and that this absence is reflected in the state’s filings. Mint and other coverage state the prosecution lacks proper sanction. Scroll.in adds that the Uttar Pradesh government’s affidavit contains no disclosure that such sanction has been granted.
As a result, the criminal proceedings against Gandhi do not continue in their current form. The outlets frame the ruling as a legal determination based on whether the prosecution met the sanction requirement, rather than an assessment of the merits of the defamation allegation itself.
