A Pune court on Monday summoned Congress leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Gandhi to appear in person on December 2 in connection with a criminal defamation case filed against him by Satyaki Savarkar, the grand-nephew of Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

The order was issued by Special MP/MLA Court Judge Amol Shinde, who had previously summoned Gandhi to appear on October 23.

Gandhi's counsel informed the court that the summons had not been received.

Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, representing the complainant, requested the court to issue fresh summons for Gandhi to appear. Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi, assured the court that his client would appear on the next date.

The defamation complaint stems from a remark Gandhi made during a speech in London in March 2023. Gandhi allegedly stated that Savarkar had written about an incident where he and a group of friends had beaten up a Muslim man, a moment that Savarkar purportedly took "pleasure" in.

Satyaki Savarkar, who filed the complaint, has denied that such a statement appears in his writings and claims that Gandhi's remarks are defamatory.

In his application, Satyaki has sought the maximum punishment for Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to the punishment for criminal defamation. Additionally, Savarkar has demanded the imposition of the maximum compensation available under Section 357 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which allows courts to order the payment of compensation to the victim of a crime.