Pune: An MP/MLA court in Pune on Tuesday completed the chief examination of Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, in a defamation case he has filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the latter’s alleged objectionable remarks during his March 2023 speech in London.The court proceedings lasted for over five hours. The cross-examination of Satyaki by the defence lawyer was deferred to Jan 13.
During the proceedings on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi’s counsel Milind Pawar objected to running the pen drive containing the link to Gandhi’s alleged defamatory speech in open court. The objection was overruled as the court said there was no need to file a separate application as it had allowed the drive as evidence.The examination focused on the contents of Rahul Gandhi’s speech and the alleged damage to Vinayaka Damodar Savarkar’s reputation. Satyaki said Rahul Gandhi in his impugned (under challenge) speech claimed that the disputed assertions were part of a book written by the Hindutva ideologue.Satyaki said he was providing a list of 29 books written by Savarkar and told the court that he filed the defamation case only in relation to the specific incident mentioned by Gandhi in the speech, which, according to him, does not find mention in any biography of Savarkar.“I am a descendant of Savarkar and have the right to file the complaint,” Satyaki said. He told the court that he faced criticism on social media and received emails, letters, and explanations following Rahul Gandhi’s speech. “I was asked many questions about the role of Savarkar,” Satyaki said.
