New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday quashed the criminal defamation complaint and summons issued by a trial court against Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his remarks regarding Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu set aside the proceedings after noting that mandatory statutory sanction had not been obtained to initiate prosecution in the case.
The apex court observed that the affidavit filed by the State of Uttar Pradesh, supported by submissions from the Additional Solicitor General and the complainant’s counsel, contained no disclosure of the requisite government sanction. Consequently, the bench declared the original complaint and subsequent orders passed by the trial magistrate null and void.
The legal challenge originated from statements made by Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra at a public gathering in Maharashtra’s Akola district on November 17, 2022. Following the speech, advocate Nripendra Pandey filed a complaint before a magistrate court alleging that Gandhi had intentionally insulted and conspired to defame Savarkar.
Gandhi challenged the subordinate court’s summons, initially approaching the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, which declined to intervene on April 4, 2025, directing him to pursue a revision petition before the sessions court instead. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the procedural absence of sanction, all ongoing criminal proceedings arising from the complaint have been brought to a close.
