Satyaki Savarkar has filed the criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over comments made by the Congress leader during a speech in London in March 2023. In that speech, Rahul Gandhi alleged that Savarkar and some of his associates had assaulted a Muslim man and had derived pleasure from the act, claiming that the account was based on Savarkar's own writings.
Challenging those allegations, Satyaki Savarkar told the court that no such incident is mentioned in any of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's published works or writings. He alleged that Rahul Gandhi made baseless, misleading, and defamatory statements with the intention of damaging Savarkar's reputation by distorting historical facts. Seeking legal action under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, Satyaki Savarkar has requested punishment for Rahul Gandhi along with compensation. His cross-examination by Rahul Gandhi's legal team is currently underway before the Pune court.
During his testimony, Satyaki Savarkar addressed the long-debated issue of Savarkar's release from British custody. Referring to information available on the Amrutkaal platform, he stated that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar remained imprisoned in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands for 12 years after being incarcerated in 1911. According to his testimony, Savarkar was transferred to a prison on the Indian mainland in 1924 and was subsequently kept under internment before being released from those restrictions in 1937.
The court recorded Satyaki Savarkar's voluntary statement that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's release did not occur because of the petitions he had submitted to the British authorities. Instead, he stated that the release resulted from political efforts, including developments in the National Assembly in 1937, which, according to the court record, was not governed by the Congress party.
Highlighting earlier political support for Savarkar, Satyaki Savarkar also testified that a resolution demanding Savarkar's release had been passed during the 1923 Kakinada session of the Congress, which was presided over by Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar. According to the court's record of his testimony, he stated that the resolution was adopted because Savarkar's popularity had increased significantly and public pressure for his release had intensified.
Satyaki Savarkar further argued that similar political intervention could have altered the fate of revolutionary leader Bhagat Singh. He told the court that if the Congress had passed a similar resolution or legislative measure before Bhagat Singh's execution, the executions of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru could have been prevented.
The issue of mercy petitions also came under scrutiny during the cross-examination. When questioned about whether Vinayak Damodar Savarkar had written mercy petitions to the British government seeking release on the condition that he would refrain from political or revolutionary activities, Satyaki Savarkar said he could not make any definitive statement. The court recorded his response, stating that he could not say that the petition dated November 14, 1913, expressed loyalty to the British government, nor could he say that Savarkar had expressed a desire to work with the British authorities.
The cross-examination of Satyaki Savarkar is scheduled to continue on July 7, with Advocate Milind Pawar expected to conduct further questioning on behalf of Rahul Gandhi. The proceedings remain significant as they examine allegations of defamation, disputed historical interpretations, and the legal accountability of public statements concerning one of India's most debated historical figures.
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