New Delhi: The Supreme Court earlier today (April 25) paused legal proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi initiated by a Lucknow court concerning his remarks about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. However, the bench issued a strong warning against such statements about freedom fighters, according to legal news website Bar and Bench.A Supreme Court bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan, while halting the Lucknow case, expressed quite the strong disapproval of comments Gandhi made in November 2022.The judges reportedly cautioned Gandhi that the court might initiate action suo motu – meaning on its own initiative – if similar statements were repeated. “This is not the way to treat our freedom fighters. They have given us freedom,” Justice Datta reportedly said during the hearing.Revered by the BJP and those following Hindutva ideology, Savarkar is also criticised for his political views and actions during the independence movement, including petitions for clemency sent to the British. Categorising him as a freedom fighter is also something that is questioned by historians. The Lucknow case stems from remarks Gandhi allegedly made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra on November 17, 2022, in which he noted that Savarkar collaborated with the British and received a pension. A complaint by advocate Nripendra Pandey led to proceedings where a Lucknow magistrate eventually summoned Gandhi on December 12, 2024, finding sufficient initial evidence (prima facie) of potential offences under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity) and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief). The Lucknow court also fined Gandhi for an earlier non-appearance around March 2025.Gandhi had challenged the summons unsuccessfully in the Allahabad high court before appealing to the Supreme Court.During today’s hearing, the Supreme Court bench asked Gandhi’s lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, about historical context, citing alleged past communications about Savarkar involving Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. “Does he know his grandmother also sent a letter to the freedom fighter praising him?” the court said, adding, “You cannot make such statements without knowing history…”This Lucknow case is separate from another defamation lawsuit Gandhi faces in Pune. Filed by Savarkar’s grandnephew, that case relates to comments Gandhi reportedly made in London in March 2023. Gandhi received bail and a permanent exemption from appearing in the Pune court on January 10, 2025.Gandhi’s comments on Savarkar are often used by BJP to counter him. Following the March 2023 London remarks, Union minister Anurag Thakur accused him of disrespecting national icons, specifically citing Indira Gandhi’s past statements acknowledging Savarkar.The Supreme Court’s order today temporarily halts the Lucknow proceedings. The bench issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant, scheduling the case for further hearing in eight weeks.