# Supreme Court quashes case against Rahul Gandhi over Savarkar

2026-08-14T08:43:16+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 4 independent outlets

The Supreme Court on Friday quashed the criminal defamation complaint and summons against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his 2022 remarks describing Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar as a British collaborator. Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu noted that the Uttar Pradesh government's affidavit did not disclose the required sanction under law to prosecute Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The case stems from comments Gandhi made during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Akola, Maharashtra, on November 17, 2022. Advocate Nripendra Pandey filed a complaint accusing Gandhi of promoting enmity (Section 153A) and public mischief (Section 505 IPC). A Lucknow magistrate had summoned Gandhi in December 2024, and the Allahabad High Court refused to intervene in April 2025. The Supreme Court earlier stayed the summons but called Gandhi's remarks "irresponsible."

## Coverage

- siasat.com <https://www.siasat.com/sc-quashes-complaint-against-rahul-gandhi-over-savarkar-remarks-3524504/>
- rediff.com <https://www.rediff.com/news/report/supreme-court-quashes-defamation-complaint-against-rahul-gandhi-over-savarkar-remarks/20260814.htm>
- barandbench.com <https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/supreme-court-quashes-hate-speech-complaint-against-rahul-gandhi-for-calling-savarkar-british-collaborator>
- english.mathrubhumi.com <https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/supreme-court-quashes-defamation-case-rahul-gandhi-savarkar-remarks-il8ixnja>

Tags: criminal case, Rahul Gandhi, sanction, Savarkar, Supreme Court
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