A defamation case has been filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grandnephew of Hindutva leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi before a First Class Judicial Magistrate, alleging that Gandhi deliberately misled the court in connection with an allegedly defamatory speech about Veer Savarkar. According to Satyaki Savarkar’s complaint, on July 29, Gandhi submitted a 15-page pursuit denying receipt of a video of the speech in question. Savarkar claims this denial was false and aimed at misleading judicial proceedings.
Savarkar’s lawyer, Sangram Kolhatkar, argued that Gandhi’s advocate had previously acknowledged receiving all documents submitted by the complainant, including a CD of the alleged speech. Kolhatkar further stated that Gandhi also admitted to receiving a pendrive containing the video but claimed it was non-functional. A replacement pendrive was later provided, which was successfully played in open court in the presence of Gandhi’s counsel. According to the complaint, Gandhi had earlier admitted receiving the pendrive in a May 28 application but refused to operate it, citing concerns about malware, before returning it. The pendrive is currently in court custody.
Savarkar contends that these actions show Gandhi attempted to create a false record to avoid accountability. His application urges the court to initiate perjury proceedings, take judicial notice of the alleged falsehoods, and treat the matter with seriousness, given Gandhi’s role as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
This development comes just days after Gandhi filed his own application before a Pune court seeking contempt of court proceedings against Satyaki Savarkar. Gandhi, through his advocate Milind Pawar, accused Savarkar of repeatedly violating judicial directives in the ongoing defamation matter by failing to submit the original CD and an authenticated transcript of the speech, which form the basis of the complaint.
The case stems from Satyaki Savarkar’s original defamation complaint, which alleges that Rahul Gandhi made defamatory remarks about V D Savarkar during a 2013 address in London, remarks he later referenced in 2023. Gandhi sought permission to record his plea through his lawyer, a request opposed by Savarkar’s representative. Magistrate A.S. Shinde, however, noted that the accused’s personal presence was not mandatory and exercised discretion to allow Pawar to represent Gandhi and record his plea on his behalf.
