Rahul Gandhi Today (May 28) told a Pune court that the man accusing him of defamation is the grandson of Gopal Godse, Nathuram Godse’s brother. He demanded full disclosure of the complainant’s maternal family tree to expose links to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin.
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MAHARASHTRA: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today made a new and serious claim in the ongoing defamation case related to Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
In a written application submitted to the special MP/MLA court in Pune, Gandhi alleged that the complainant, Satyaki Savarkar, has hidden an important fact — that he is related to Nathuram Godse, the man who killed Mahatma Gandhi.
According to Gandhi, the complainant Satyaki is actually the grandson of Gopal Vinayak Godse, who was Nathuram Godse’s younger brother. Gandhi has asked the court to order Satyaki to clearly state his maternal family background because, he says, this connection is important to decide whether any defamation has really happened.
“As per information, mother of complainant late Smt. Himani Ashok Savarkar is daughter of Gopal Vinayak Godse, younger brother of Nathuram Vinayak Godse, who killed father of nation Mahatma Gandhi on 30/01/1948 and was hanged along with his accomplice Narayan Apte on 15/11/1949,”
-Gandhi said in his application.
The judge, Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shriram Shinde, has now told Satyaki to reply to these new claims. The next court hearing is scheduled for June 12.
This legal battle started when Satyaki filed a defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi in 2023. He accused Gandhi of making insulting statements against Vinayak Savarkar during a speech in London. Satyaki said that Gandhi wrongly quoted Savarkar as having said that hurting a Muslim gave him pleasure — a claim Satyaki says is false and not found in Savarkar’s writings.
Satyaki then requested the court to punish Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code for defamation and to order compensation under Section 357 of CrPC.
Now, Gandhi is hitting back. He has said in court that Satyaki has “deliberately, systematically, very brilliantly avoided, and suppressed” his full family details, especially those from his mother’s side. Gandhi believes this is not a small matter, but something that can influence how the court looks at the entire case.
He further said:
“That, it is submitted that, the family Tree of complainant from ‘Maternal Parents’ is very much important because the grandfather of complainant from ‘Maternal Parents’ Gopal Vinayak Godse and Nathuram Vinayak Godse are real brothers and having history, blood relation with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar family, also main accused in Murder of Mahatma Gandhi.”
Gandhi pointed out that Satyaki’s mother, Himani Ashok Savarkar, was not only the daughter of Gopal Godse and niece of Nathuram Godse, but she was also actively involved with Hindutva organisations like Abhinav Bharat and the Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha. He believes this link between the Godse and Savarkar families — both ideologically and by blood — is very important for understanding Savarkar’s public image.
Gandhi said:
“These are the important historical movements behind this case to decide the reputation, defamation and contribution, status, thoughts and image of the Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in Indian history.”
While Satyaki has already submitted two versions of his paternal family tree in court, Gandhi pointed out that nothing has been shared about his maternal family, even though it is clearly relevant.
Because of this, Gandhi has asked the court to order Satyaki to submit an affidavit clearly stating his maternal family background. If he refuses, Gandhi has requested the court to send the case for deeper investigation by Vishrambag Police Station in Pune under Section 173(8) CrPC.
Rahul Gandhi has also filed a second legal request, where he accuses Satyaki of giving false information to the court, insulting the court, and wrongly accusing him of breaking bail conditions.
According to Gandhi, Satyaki filed a misleading application on May 9, wrongly saying that Gandhi had violated his bail.
The court has asked Satyaki to reply to both of these new applications.
Earlier this month, the same court had agreed to Gandhi’s request to shift the nature of the case from a simple “summary trial” to a “summons trial“. This change allows more documents and historical evidence to be submitted, which Gandhi said was necessary because his statements about Savarkar were based on real historical records.
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Advocate Milind Pawar is representing Rahul Gandhi
Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar is representing Satyaki Savarkar.
EARLIER IN APEX COURT
The Supreme Court on 25th April questioned whether Rahul Gandhi is aware that his grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had written a letter praising Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
The court warned the Congress MP against making controversial remarks about freedom fighters in the future, stating “he would face consequences if he did.”
Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan described Gandhi’s comments about the freedom fighter as irresponsible, warning that the court would take suo motu action if he continues to make such statements.
Justice Datta also challenged senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who represented Gandhi, by asking if Mahatma Gandhi could be labeled a servant of the British simply because he referred to himself as “your faithful servant” in his letters to the Governor.
The court remarked,
“Does he know that even Mahatma Gandhi used the words ‘your faithful servant’?“
The Court Further remarked,
“Does he know his grandmother also sent a letter to the freedom fighter praising him? Let him not make irresponsible statements about freedom fighters. You cannot make such statements without knowing the history or geography of freedom fighters,”
The Bench, however, stayed the summons issued to Rahul Gandhi by a Magistrate court related to a criminal case stemming from his controversial remarks.
Justice Datta added,
“Let’s be clear, any further statement and we will take suo motu and no question of sanction. We will not allow you to speak anything about the freedom fighters. They have given us freedom.”
The court subsequently stayed the criminal defamation proceedings against Gandhi in a Lucknow court regarding his comments about Savarkar.
Gandhi has appealed to the Supreme Court to challenge an Allahabad High Court order from April 4, which denied his request to quash the summons issued by a Magistrate court for his remarks against Savarkar.
In granting the stay, the Bench also pointed out that Gandhi’s grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had written a letter praising Savarkar.
The Supreme Court issued a warning to Rahul Gandhi regarding his comments about freedom fighters, specifically concerning VD Savarkar.
On Friday, the court stayed a trial court summons related to his remarks and cautioned the Congress leader against making further disparaging comments about Savarkar, emphasizing that “he is worshipped in Maharashtra.“
The court was reviewing a plea challenging an Allahabad High Court decision that had declined to quash the summons issued to him for his remarks against Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Earlier, Justice Subhash Vidyarthi of the High Court had refused to entertain Gandhi’s plea, noting that he could approach the Sessions Judge under Section 397 (which allows for a review of lower court records) of the Code of Criminal Procedure instead of moving to the High Court.
Also Read: Court Defers Rahul Gandhi Defamation Case to April 3: “Lawyers Were on Strike”
This defamation case is connected to comments made by Rahul Gandhi on November 17, 2022, while he was addressing a public gathering in Akola district of Maharashtra during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. During that speech, Rahul Gandhi allegedly made certain statements that were considered defamatory towards Savarkar.
The trial court indicated that Gandhi had referred to Savarkar as a British collaborator who received a pension, asserting that such remarks fostered hatred and discord within society.
Consequently, the court found a prima facie case against Gandhi and mandated his appearance.
In response, Gandhi challenged the summoning order in the High Court. He faces charges under Sections 153A (promoting enmity) and 505 (public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), following a complaint filed by advocate Nripendra Pandey.
Pandey had initially sought to register a first information report (FIR) against Gandhi for his comments made on November 17, 2022, in which he labeled Savarkar as a collaborator with the British.
Pandey argued that Gandhi’s remarks were intended to incite societal hatred and emphasized that Mahatma Gandhi had once recognized Savarkar as a patriot.
In June 2023, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ambrish Kumar Srivastava dismissed Pandey’s complaint, leading him to appeal to the sessions court.
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi Granted Bail in Savarkar Defamation Case by Pune Court
The sessions court subsequently accepted the appeal and referred the matter back to the Magistrate court, which then issued the summons to Gandhi.
Additionally, the Lucknow court recently fined Gandhi Rs.200 for failing to appear in the case.
Gandhi, who serves as the MP for Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh and is the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been linked to this case since April last year. Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Vinayak Savarkar, filed a complaint in a magistrate court in Pune, alleging that Gandhi made defamatory remarks about Savarkar during a speech in London on March 5, 2023.
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