Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Researcher Asks Bombay High Court to Halt Rahul Gandhi Trial
Pankaj Phadnis is a professor and researcher who studies Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
He wants the Bombay High Court to pause a court case involving Rahul Gandhi.
The case began after Satyaki Savarkar accused Gandhi of making false and malicious remarks about Savarkar.
The remarks were allegedly made at an event in London in March 2023.
Phadnis says judges should not decide whether Savarkar was brave or cowardly.
He believes that question belongs to political debate and Parliament.
He also says the Pune court is discussing too much history instead of focusing on the original complaint.
A Pune judge refused to let Phadnis join the case and ordered him to pay Rs 20,000.
Phadnis has now asked the Bombay High Court to review the proceedings and consider appointing an independent legal adviser.
Pankaj Phadnis has asked the Bombay High Court to stay Rahul Gandhi’s criminal defamation trial over remarks about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Phadnis argues that deciding whether Savarkar was brave or cowardly is a political and parliamentary question, not a judicial one.
He says the Pune court should focus on whether Savarkar wrote about beating a Muslim man, rather than broader historical and political issues.
The Pune Special MP/MLA Court rejected Phadnis’s request to intervene, ruled he lacked legal standing, and imposed a Rs 20,000 cost.
The complaint was filed by Savarkar’s grand-nephew Satyaki Savarkar over remarks Gandhi allegedly made during a March 2023 event in London.
- Who
- Professor and researcher Pankaj Phadnis has petitioned the Bombay High Court concerning Rahul Gandhi, who faces a complaint filed by Satyaki Savarkar.
- What
- Phadnis is seeking a stay of the criminal defamation proceedings and the appointment of an amicus curiae to assess whether the evidence being recorded is relevant to the original complaint.
- When
- The High Court application was filed on August 19, 2026; the alleged remarks were made at an event in London in March 2023.
- Where
- The defamation case is being heard by a Special MP/MLA Court in Pune, while Phadnis has approached the Bombay High Court.
- Why
- Phadnis argues that judging Savarkar’s bravery, cowardice, or contribution to the freedom struggle is a political and parliamentary matter, and that the Pune court has exceeded the case’s proper scope.
Phadnis’s Petition
Pune Court Proceedings
Whether the court should assess Savarkar’s legacy
Phadnis’s Petition
Phadnis argues that deciding whether Savarkar was brave or cowardly, or evaluating his contribution to the freedom struggle, belongs to Parliament and political debate rather than judicial determination.
Pune Court Proceedings
The Pune court has continued hearing the defamation case, with cross-examinations reportedly touching on Savarkar’s mercy petitions, religious views, secularism, and historical positions.
Scope of the defamation case
Phadnis’s Petition
Phadnis says the court should limit its inquiry to whether Savarkar wrote about beating a Muslim man, as allegedly claimed by Rahul Gandhi, and should not examine wider political history.
Pune Court Proceedings
The proceedings have included broader historical questions, including testimony and discussion about Savarkar’s petitions, beliefs, and views on historical events.
Phadnis’s role in the case
Phadnis’s Petition
Phadnis says his research and historical documents could assist the court and has requested an amicus curiae to examine the relevance of the evidence.
Pune Court Proceedings
Special Judge Amol Shinde rejected his intervention plea, holding that a third-party researcher lacked legal standing in the private criminal defamation case, and imposed a Rs 20,000 cost for wasting judicial time.
- Applicant
- Pankaj Phadnis, a professor and researcher
- Person at issue
- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
- Defamation complainant
- Satyaki Savarkar, Savarkar’s grand-nephew
- Accused politician
- Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader
- Trial court
- Special MP/MLA Court in Pune
- High Court request
- A stay of the proceedings and appointment of an amicus curiae
- Pune court penalty
- Rs 20,000 imposed after Phadnis’s intervention plea was rejected
- Reported evidence
- Satyaki Savarkar told the Pune court on June 15 that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar wrote 10 mercy petitions to the British
