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A request to play two additional CDs—which the complainant argued were verified copies—was also dismissed by the court
The alleged defamatory remarks were made by Rahul Gandhi during a speech in London in March 2023. File pic/PTI
A Pune special court for MP/MLA cases, presided over by Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, has rejected a complainant’s request to play a YouTube video as substitute evidence in a defamation case against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. The case was filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, over alleged defamatory remarks made by Gandhi during a speech in London in March 2023. This unexpected development occurred during the complainant’s examination-in-chief, where the primary evidence—a Compact Disc (CD) supposedly containing the video of the alleged speech—was played and discovered to be completely blank.
Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, representing Satyaki Savarkar, immediately sought the court’s permission to play the video directly from the original YouTube link, which had been submitted along with the initial complaint in 2023. Kolhatkar claimed that the CD, when first submitted and presented before a different judge at the cognisance stage, was functional and led to the issuance of summons against Gandhi.
The defence counsel, Advocate Milind Pawar, objected to the playing of the YouTube link. Magistrate Shinde upheld the objection, ruling that the online content was inadmissible as evidence because the YouTube URL was not supported by a mandatory certificate under Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act.
This certificate is crucial for authenticating electronic records in court proceedings. Following the rejection of the YouTube video, a request to play two additional CDs—which the complainant argued were verified copies—was also dismissed by the court, as the judge noted that these specific additional CDs were not officially on record for court purposes.
The complainant has since requested a judicial inquiry to determine how the previously functional key evidence CD turned blank.
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
November 29, 2025, 17:19 IST
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