On Friday, the Supreme Court gave a strong warning to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his earlier comments about freedom fighter VD Savarkar. At the same time, the court put a temporary hold on a trial court’s summons related to the issue.

A bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Manmohan clearly said that Gandhi must avoid making any more “derogatory” remarks about freedom fighters, especially those who are respected in some parts of the country. The bench stressed that VD Savarkar is “worshipped” in Maharashtra and cautioned that there could be serious consequences if such remarks keep being made. “We will not allow anyone to make statements against our freedom fighters. Next someone will say Mahatma Gandhi was a ‘servant to the British’,” the court observed during the hearing.

The judges raised doubts about whether Gandhi truly understood the historical context. They mentioned that even Mahatma Gandhi had used the phrase "your faithful servant" when writing to the Viceroy. They also noted that his grandfather, former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had once written a letter in which he praised Savarkar. The court strongly and unequivocally denounced Gandhi's previous statements as "irresponsible." "They gave us freedom, and you treat them like this," it continued.

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Rahul Gandhi, asked the court to grant relief based on legal grounds. The court agreed that there was legal merit in the request and decided to pause the trial court’s summons. However, the bench clearly stated that any future 'inappropriate remarks' would not be allowed. “Let’s not make irresponsible statements on freedom fighters... You made a good point on law and are entitled to a stay,” the bench told Singhvi. The court also issued a warning that any future such remarks could invite suo motu action.

Rahul Gandhi was not present at the hearing because he was in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. He was meeting the victims of Tuesday’s terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, mostly civilians. Gandhi is also expected to meet representatives of local businesses who have been affected by the sudden drop in tourism after the attack. The incident has been claimed by "The Resistance Front", a group linked to the Pakistan-based terror group "Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)". Authorities have identified five gunmen involved in the attack, and a large-scale manhunt is currently going on.