Pune Court rejects researcher's plea in Rahul Gandhi defamation case

A Pune court has dismissed an application by researcher Pankaj Phadnis to intervene in a criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The case was initiated by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of the late right-wing ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, following remarks made by Gandhi during a speech in the United Kingdom in March 2023.

Judicial Magistrate First Class Amol Shindere ruled that Phadnis lacked the legal standing, or ‘locus standi’, to participate in the proceedings. The court noted that Phadnis is not a family member or near relative of the late Savarkar and therefore cannot unilaterally claim the status of an aggrieved person under Section 199 of the Cr. P. C. to assert that his feelings were hurt.

Phadnis had argued that his 25 years of research and expertise would assist the court in adjudicating the truth. However, the court rejected the plea and imposed a cost of ₹20,000 on Phadnis for wasting judicial time, directing the payment to the Pune District Legal Services Authority.