Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Supreme Court Quashes Case Against Rahul Gandhi Over Savarkar Remarks
The Supreme Court is the highest court in India.
It has closed a court case against a politician named Rahul Gandhi.
Mr. Gandhi had said some unkind things about a historical leader named Savarkar.
Some people who felt upset filed a case against him.
The case was about whether his words hurt Savarkar's reputation or caused trouble between groups.
Before this kind of case can move forward, the state government of Uttar Pradesh must give official permission.
The government did not give that permission.
Because the permission was missing, the Supreme Court said the case could not continue.
This does not mean the Supreme Court agreed with Mr. Gandhi's words.
It only means the rules for bringing the case were not followed.
The Supreme Court quashed criminal proceedings against Rahul Gandhi over his 2022 remarks on V.D. Savarkar.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu ruled that the Uttar Pradesh government had not granted the mandatory sanction for prosecution.
Gandhi had called Savarkar a 'servant of the British' and alleged he received a British pension during a Bharat Jodo Yatra rally in Akola, Maharashtra.
The case began with a complaint by lawyer Nripendra Pandey in Lucknow, leading to summons under IPC Sections 153A and 505.
The ruling is procedural only and does not decide whether Gandhi's remarks were defamatory, hateful or unlawful.
- Who
- Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Supreme Court bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu
- What
- The Supreme Court quashed criminal defamation proceedings and summons against Gandhi over his remarks on V.D. Savarkar
- When
- On Friday; the remarks were made on November 17, 2022
- Where
- New Delhi (Supreme Court ruling); remarks made in Akola, Maharashtra; case filed in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
- Why
- Because the Uttar Pradesh government had not obtained the mandatory sanction required to prosecute Gandhi under the invoked provisions
- Case
- Criminal defamation/hate speech proceedings against Rahul Gandhi over Savarkar remarks
- Court
- Supreme Court of India (Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu)
- Complainant's lawyer
- Nripendra Pandey
- Date of remarks
- November 17, 2022
- Location of remarks
- Akola, Maharashtra, during Bharat Jodo Yatra
- IPC sections invoked
- 153A and 505
- Reason for quashing
- Missing mandatory sanction from Uttar Pradesh government
