March 12, 2026 : A court in Nashik has closed a criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over remarks he made about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar after the complainant withdrew the complaint.

The case had been filed in 2022 by Devendra Bhutada following statements made by Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Bhutada alleged that the remarks made by the Congress leader were defamatory and had damaged Savarkar’s reputation. Based on this allegation, a criminal complaint was lodged before a magistrate’s court in Nashik.

During the proceedings, Gandhi denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty. The court had earlier granted him bail, and the matter had been pending before the magistrate for further hearings.

Subsequently, the complainant moved an application seeking permission to withdraw the complaint. In his submission to the court, Bhutada stated that due to personal reasons and difficulties in attending the proceedings regularly, he wished to discontinue the case.

After considering the request, the Nashik court allowed the withdrawal application and disposed of the complaint. With this order, the criminal defamation proceedings against Gandhi in connection with his remarks about Savarkar have formally come to an end.