India, April 8 -- On Monday, a special court in Pune allowed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's plea to convert the ongoing criminal defamation proceedings against him from a summary trial into a summons trial. The case is related to Gandhi's alleged defamatory remarks against Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar during an event in London on March 5, 2023.

The court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, designated for cases involving MPs and MLAs, held that the dispute raised "complex questions of fact and law," particularly related to historical narratives, and observed that a more detailed trial procedure would be necessary to allow examination of evidence and enable both parties to cross-examine witnesses thoroughly.

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