Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, skipped the hearing in a Pune court on Monday in connection with a defamation complaint filed against him by the grandnephew of freedom fighter VD Savarkar.

According to news agency PTI, Rahul Gandhi's lawyer Milind Pawar said his client sought exemption from appearance due to the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament, adding the Congress leader would be present in the court on January 10.