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There is no political pressure if facts are adhered to in court, says Rahul Gandhi's Pune lawyer Milind Pawar

Shriprakash Pande

Pune, Oct 6 (UNI) Senior advocate Milind Pawar, who has appeared in several high-profile cases including matters related to the Telgi stamp paper scam, and the defamation complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over remarks on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, said on Tuesday that adherence to facts and the law in court has helped him avoid political pressure during his over three decades of legal practice.
Pawar told UNI that a lawyer's responsibility was to place the facts before the court and allow the judicial process to take its course.
"If you work with integrity and place facts within the four corners of the law and the court, there is no pressure and no threat. That has been my experience till date," he said.
Recalling his work in the Telgi stamp paper scam case, Pawar said the matter involved 67 accused, including police officers, legislators and ministers.
He said he had obtained permission to meet Abdul Karim Telgi once a week in the Anda cell of Yerwada Central Jail.
"My job as a lawyer was to place the facts as instructed before the court. The rest I cannot speak about in front of cameras," he said.
Pawar also spoke about the defamation proceedings initiated by Satyaki Savarkar, grandson of V.D. Savarkar, against Rahul Gandhi over remarks made during a speech in London.
According to the complaint, Gandhi had attributed to Savarkar a statement in which he allegedly claimed to have derived pleasure from the assault of a Muslim youth. The complainant's side has maintained that no such statement appears in Savarkar's writings.
Pawar said his team had sought conversion of the proceedings into a summary trial to enable examination of material relating to Savarkar's writings, correspondence and views.
The complainant's chief examination has been completed and cross-examination is underway, he said.
"The case depends on historical facts. We have to examine what Savarkar wrote and thought," Pawar said, declining to comment on when the proceedings or judgment would be completed.
On delays in the judicial system, Pawar cited inadequate infrastructure, shortage of court staff and the large number of cases listed before judges as major factors behind pendency.
"Judges are sometimes dealing with boards of 150 to 200 cases. The government's approach towards judicial infrastructure needs to change. Unnecessary adjournments must also be avoided," he said.
Pawar said technology, including e-filing, video-conferencing and online access to judgments, had helped reduce delays and could contribute to faster disposal of cases.
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