A relative of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on Wednesday filed an application in a Pune court seeking information about the ‘book’, which was mentioned by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi making alleged derogatory remarks against the Hindutva thinker during a speech in London.
Savarkar’s nephew Ashok Savarkar’s son and applicant Satyaki Savarkar said that Rahul Gandhi’s comment was fictional and was not based on any book written by the freedom fighter.
Interestingly, the defense lawyer Milind Pawar, who is representing Congress MP Gandhi, has filed a separate application and sought information related to the clan of Satyaki Savarkar’s mother.
The petition of the defense counsel said that Satyaki’s mother was from the family of Nathuram Godse, the killer of the late Himani Ashok Savarkar Mahatma Gandhi, his (Himani) father Gopal Godse was the brother of Nathuram Godse.
Satyaki Savarkar had filed a defamation case against him in a Pune court citing Rahul Gandhi’s speech in London in March 2023.
According to the complaint, the Congress MP claimed in his speech that Vinayam Damodar Savarkar wrote in a ‘book’ that “he (Savarkar) and his five-six friends had once beat a Muslim person and he (Savarkar) was happy.”
The complaint states that VD Savarkar did not write any such thing anywhere and Gandhi’s comment is ‘fictional, false and malicious’.
Satyaki Savarkar’s petition stated, “The accused (Gandhi) had sought a book called ‘Hindutva’ written by Savarkar. We had already presented the said book as a protest.”
He said that the date of January 10, 2025 was fixed by the accused in the case. However, the accused is not recording his statement with some excuse and is delayed under the strategy.
Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, who represented Satyaki Savarkar, said, “We have now demanded the court to direct the accused (Rahul Gandhi) to present the book allegedly written by VD Savarkar, which the accused had given abusive remarks in London.”
Kolhatkar said that the book related to a fair hearing of the case is necessary.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer Pawar filed an application before the court demanding information about Satyaki Savarkar’s ‘maternal lineage’.
Pawar said, “While filing the case, the complainant Satyaki Savarkar presented the details of his ancestral dynasty and explained his relations with Savarkar and highlighted Savarkar’s contribution to the freedom struggle.”
He said, “Satyaki Savarkar is the son of late Ashok Narayanrao Savarkar and late Himani Ashok Savarkar. The court has been informed about his ancestral lineage but the maternal lineage is not mentioned. Although it is considered important for hearing. Therefore, we have demanded that Satyaki Savarkar’s mother lineage be presented in court.”
He said that if Satyaki Savarkar fails to present information about his maternal lineage associated with Godse family, it has been requested that Vishrambagh police station of Pune be directed to investigate the detailed lineage of the late Himani Ashok Savarkar and submit a report to the court.
