A court here on Wednesday imposed a cost of Rs 200 on Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for skipping appearance in a 2022 defamation case related to his alleged derogatory remarks on freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Alok Verma had in December 2024 asked Gandhi to appear in the court on Wednesday. However, he didn’t, and his legal team filed an application seeking exemption from personal appearance.

The court imposed a cost Rs 200 on him and said the amount would be paid to the complainant’s lawyer. The next hearing was fixed for April 14.

In the application filed during the day, Gandhi’s lawyer said the Leader of the Opposition has had official engagements, including meetings with foreign dignitaries and other scheduled programmes, which prevented him from attending the court in-person.

The defamation case stems from Gandhi’s comments on Savarkar made on November 17, 2022 during his Bharat Jodo Yatra at a rally in Maharashtra’s Akola district.

Advocate Nripendra Pandey filed a complaint, accusing Gandhi of intentionally insulting Savarkar during the rally.

The complainant alleged Gandhi’s remarks were part of a well-planned conspiracy to defame Savarkar, and the comments were broadcast widely across the media. 

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