Savarkar Defamation Case: Complainant Seeks To Play Allegedly Defamatory Speech Through Pen Drive, Pune Court Seeks Rahul Gandhi's Reply

In the ongoing criminal defamation case pertaining to right-wing leader Vinayak Savarkar, a Special Pune Court on Thursday ordered Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to respond to an application filed by complainant Satyaki Savarkar, who has placed on record two pen drives, which comprise of the allegedly defamatory speech delivered by the Leader of Opposition Party (LOP) in London. 

Notably, a criminal defamation complaint was filed by Satyaki, in 2023, alleging that Gandhi defamed grand uncle Vinayak Savarkar in a speech, which he delivered in London. He had also furnished a Compact Disc (CD) comprising of the speech

In a previous hearing, when the court, presided over by Special Judge Amol Shinde, designated to hear cases related to MPs and MLAs, played the CD in the court's laptop and also a computer, the said CD was found to be 'blank' with no data stored in it. 

This CD was submitted in the court by Satyaki at the time of filing his complaint before the court.

When the said CD turned out to be blank, Satyaki then moved an application urging the court to directly play the speech video from Gandhi's YouTube Channel. He had also furnished the link of the said video before the court along with the CD. However, advocate Milind Pawar appearing for Gandhi objected to the same arguing that Satyaki wasn't the owner of the YouTube Channel in question.

The Special Judge too had considered the fact that the mandatory section 65B certificate under the Indian Evidence Act was not furnished for the link of the YouTube Channel. 

On Thursday, when the matter was called out, Satyaki filed an application urging the court to take on record, two pen drives, containing the allegedly defamatory speech, so that the court can proceed with his (Satyaki's) examination-in-chief. 

However, Pawar objected to the said request primarily arguing that allowing such a move would amount to permitting to furnish fresh piece of evidence in the ongoing trial, the cause of which, commenced in the year 2023. 

The judge, while considering the primary objection, ordered Pawar to file his reply to the said plea on the next date of hearing and adjourned the matter till December 16.