New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary) (PTI08_11_2025_000301A)
| Photo Credit: Ravi Choudhary
Hours after filing a plea in a court here claiming apprehension of threat to Rahul Gandhi from the followers of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the Congress leader’s lawyer on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) said it was filed without Mr. Gandhi’s consent, and would be withdrawn.Congress leader Pawan Khera shared on X that said, “Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer raised the issue of threat to his life in the court without his consent. Mr. Gandhi strongly objects to this and tomorrow his lawyer will withdraw this statement in the court.”Advocate Pawar in a press statement said, “The Pursis dated 13.08.2025 was filed by me in the Court without Instructions from the client. The contents of the Pursis were drafted by me without consulting my client Shri Rahul Gandhi. My client has taken strong exception to filing of this Pursis dated 13.08.2025 and has expressed his disagreement with the contents of the Pursis. I shall file a formal application tomorrow for withdrawal of the said Pursis before the Hon’ble Court.”In a written submission before the special court, the lawyer representing Mr. Gandhi had said that the Congress leader had “grave apprehensions” for his personal safety, alleging that the complainant in the case was a descendant of Nathuram Godse, the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. He contended that this fact was never disclosed earlier, and argued that it heightened the potential risk to him given the political and ideological undertones of the matter. The criminal defamation complaint was filed over Mr. Gandhi’s 2022 comments referring to Savarkar during a public event, which the complainant claimed, tarnished the freedom fighter’s reputation. The case is currently being heard by a special court in Pune. Advocate Mr. Pawar had said, “In the past 15 days, threat to his [Mr. Gandhi’s] life has increased more as he has raised his voice against the Election Commission as well. He has been receiving threats directly telling him that he will be killed the same way how his grandmother and father were killed. A person in September 2024 sent him a threatening message that read, ‘Rahul Gandhi baaj aaja nhi toh aane wale time me tera bhi wahi haal hoga jo tere dadi ka hua tha.’ Apart from these, there are public threats issued by people in power, one by BJP leader Tarvindar Singh Marwah and another by Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu who have called Rahul Gandhi ‘the number one terrorist of the country’.” The court had accepted the application on Wednesday and the matter is listed for further hearing on September 10. With PTI inputs Published - August 13, 2025 07:40 pm IST
