Defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: Blank CD on LoP’s speech shocks court during hearing
Pune: In a dramatic twist during the hearing of the defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a CD that had been submitted before a Pune MP/MLA Special Court as key evidence was found to be blank when played in court on Thursday.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, has been accused of passing derogatory comments on Hindu ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, while speaking at an event in London. A complaint has been filed against Gandhi by Satyaki Savarkar, grandnephew of Savarkar, in this regard.
The case is being heard by Magistrate Amol Shinde. A sealed CD reportedly containing a recording of Gandhi’s speech in London had been submitted earlier as part of the evidence, according to a report in India Today. The CD had also been played in court at cognizance stage, after which, the court issued summons to the LoP.
On Thursday, however, during Satyaki Savarkar’s examination-in-chief, the CD was opened and played, only for the court to find that it contained no data.
The unexpected development shocked the complainant’s Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, who pointed out that the CD had previously been played before the court and accepted as the basis for issuing summons to Gandhi. The lawyer requested the court to view the speech on YouTube directly.
Gandhi’s advocate Milind Dattatray Pawar objected strongly on grounds that online content was not automatically admissible and the objection was upheld on legal grounds by the magistrate.
The complainant’s lawyer later produced two other CDs, urging the Pune court to check them in open, to which, Pawar objected and the court again dismissed the plea by the advocate.
Kolhatkar requested for adjournment of hearing, seeking to challenge the rejections and to initiate a judicial inquiry regarding the CD turning blank.
While Pawar again challenged the request, the court agreed to list the case for further hearing.
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Ahead of good Friday, SWR announces special train between Yesvantpur-Kannur via Mangaluru
Bengaluru: Ahead of the upcoming Good Friday festival weekend, the South Western Railway has announced a one-trip special train service between Yesvantpur Junction and Kannur via Mangaluru Junction.
According to an official released from the SWR, Train Number 06551 Yesvantpur–Kannur Express Special will depart Yesvantpur at 11.50 am on April 2 and is scheduled to arrive Kannur at 3.00 am on April 3.
In the return direction, Train Number 06552 Kannur–Yesvantpur Express Special will leave Kannur at 8.45 am on April 3 and reach Yesvantpur at 9.30 pm the same day.
The special train will halt at Kunigal, Channarayapatna, Hassan, Sakleshpura, Subrahmanya Road, Kabaka Puttur, Bantawala, Mangaluru Junction, Kasaragod, Kanhangad and Payyannur.
The train composition will have two AC two-tier coaches, six AC three-tier coaches, seven sleeper class coaches, four general second class coaches.
