During his cross-examination before a special MP/MLA court in Pune last week (October 14), Satyaki Savarkar, grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, said that he did not support Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and claimed that Vinayak Savarkar himself had condemned the killing of the Father of the Nation.

Satyaki had filed a criminal defamation complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that Gandhi defamed Vinayak Savarkar in a speech delivered in the United Kingdom. Gandhi had reportedly claimed that Savarkar wrote in one of his books that he and his friends had assaulted a Muslim man, an incident that gave them a feeling of satisfaction.

Last week, advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi, continued to cross-examine Satyaki and pointed out that certain interviews were given by his maternal grandparents, Gopal and Sindhu Godse, about being already aware of the plan to eliminate Gandhiji and also certain statements made allegedly to create enmity between the Hindu and Muslim communities, after serving their sentence in the assassination case.

Satyaki denied that his grandparents gave any interview with an intention of creating hatred between the two communities.

Subsequently, Pawar asked a pointed question, "Do you support the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, being the grandson of Gopal Godse and Nathuram Godse and Vinayak Savarkar?"

"No. I do not support the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Swatantryaveer Savarkar also condemned the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi," Satyaki responded.

Satyaki further admitted that Savarkar did not agree with some of the political views of Mahatma Gandhi but did not want to kill him.

"It is true to say that Swatantryaveer Savarkar did not agree with some of the political views and principles of Mahatma Gandhi. I do not know whether, after the release of Gopal Godse, Madanlal Pahwa and Vishnu Karkare upon completion of their sentences, a Satyanarayan Puja and felicitation ceremony were organised in their honour on November 12, 1964 at Udyan Bhavan, Pune. I do not know whether GV Ketkar, the grandson of Lokmanya Tilak, presided over the said programme. I do not know whether GV Ketkar stated in his presidential address that he had known about the conspiracy to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi six months before the assassination and that, therefore, the Kapur Commission was constituted," the complainant, Satyaki said.

Satyaki further said that the Justice Jeevanlal Kapur Commission had independently investigated the conspiracy relating to the assassination of Gandhi and that the report submitted by the said Commission mentions Savarkar's name.

"The witness volunteers that no Commission is above the Court and that the Kapur Commission is no exception. The report of the Kapur Commission was not accepted by the Government. The Government did not challenge the judgments delivered by the Court in the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case," the court recorded.

The cross-examination will continue on October 28.

Background:

The defamation complaint asserts that Gandhi has repeatedly defamed Savarkar on various occasions over the years. One specific incident highlighted was on March 5, 2023, when Gandhi addressed the Overseas Congress in the United Kingdom.

The complainant, Satyaki Savarkar, has claimed that Gandhi intentionally made wild allegations against Savarkar, knowing them to be untrue, with the intention of harming Savarkar's reputation and causing mental agony to the complainant and his family. He states that the defamatory speech was delivered in England, but its impact was felt in Pune as it was published and circulated throughout India.

Satyaki, in his complaint, has submitted several news reports and a YouTube link to a video of Gandhi's speech in London as evidence. He has claimed that Gandhi falsely accused Savarkar of writing a book in which he described beating up a Muslim person, which Savarkar never wrote and such an incident never happened.

Satyaki argued that Gandhi made these false, malicious, and wild allegations with the specific objective of defaming Savarkar and harming his reputation.

The criminal defamation application filed by Satyaki demands maximum punishment for Gandhi under Section 500 (Punishment for defamation) of the IPC and seeks imposition of maximum compensation as per Section 357 (Order to pay compensation) of the CrPC.

Previously -

Savarkar Never Hated Muslims; Rahul Gandhi Defamed Him By Portaying Him As Muslim-Hater : Kin Tells Court

Nathuram Godse & Gopal Godse Convicts In Mahatma Gandhi's Murder; Were Active RSS Members : Savarkar's Kin Tells Pune Court

Savarkar Objected To Cow Worship, Treated It Only As A Useful Animal : Grandnephew Tells Pune Court

Savarkar Wrote Book Questioning God's Existence & Religious Beliefs : Grandnephew Tells Court

Savarkar Would Have Been India's First Prime Minister Had He Compromised With British: Grandnephew Tells Pune Court

Can't Say If Savarkar Is Called 'Mafiveer' Or 'British Agent' For Filing Mercy Petitions : Grandnephew Tells Pune Court

Can't Say If Savarkar Was Released By British On Condition Not To Participate In Political Movements : Grandnephew To Court

Savarkar Filed 10 Mercy Petitions Before British, Revolutionaries Like Bhagat Singh Refused To Compromise : Grandnephew Tells Pune Court

Savarkar Filed Mercy Petitions Before British 5 Times, Treated Cow As Useful Animal Not God: Grandnephew Tells Court

'Swatantryaveer' Title Given To Savarkar Not By Govt But By A Writer : Savarkar's Grandnephew Tells Pune Court

Savarkar Got 'Swatantryaveer' Title For His Work, No Official Govt Gazette Regarding It : Grandnephew Tells Court