Supreme Court Dismisses Plea on Savarkar's Name and Punishment for Rahul Gandhi

The Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking directions to prevent misuse of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's name and include it in the relevant Act, rejecting the petitioner's request for community service punishment for Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about Savarkar, as no fundamental rights were deemed violated.

The Supreme Court rejected a plea on Tuesday that sought to prevent the misuse of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's name and include it in the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act. Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih ruled that the plea did not impinge upon any fundamental rights of the petitioner.

Petitioner Dr. Pankaj Phadnis requested directions for Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, to undertake community service as punishment for his allegedly derogatory remarks against Savarkar. Phadnis argued his years of research warranted a legally verifiable establishment of facts about Savarkar.

The chief justice questioned what fundamental right was violated in the matter, to which the petitioner responded, citing the importance of fundamental duties under Article 51A. Ultimately, the court refused intervention, noting Article 32 suits are only entertained for fundamental rights violations. The plea criticized Gandhi's remarks as defamatory and suggested community service, instead of penal measures, for a prior guilty verdict.