In the Savarkar defamation case, Rahul Gandhi has moved court seeking contempt action against complainant Satyaki Savarkar, accusing him of “wilful disobedience” of court orders and “suppressing crucial evidence” during the trial process.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has submitted an application to a special MP/MLA court in Pune, seeking contempt of court proceedings against Satyaki Savarkar.
This comes in relation to a criminal defamation case against Gandhi for allegedly defaming the Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Savarkar.
Gandhi’s application asserts that Satyaki Savarkar has intentionally disobeyed court orders and has suppressed important evidence, compromising Gandhi’s right to a fair trial. Judicial Magistrate First Class Amol Shinde is set to hear the application on August 13.
In his plea, filed through advocate Milind Pawar, Gandhi states that Savarkar has “wilfully failed to supply the material documents and electronic evidence in a usable form” despite several court orders.
This failure has severely hindered the accused’s ability to prepare an effective defense, according to the application.
Gandhi contends that Savarkar’s actions demonstrate a blatant disregard for the court’s authority. Central to Gandhi’s claims is the failure to provide certain documents and electronic records that Savarkar allegedly used to initiate the criminal complaint.
The defense claims that while Savarkar submitted a CD to the court, he instead gave the accused a pen drive on May 9, 2025, which was found to be corrupted and unreadable on any device available to the defense.
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Gandhi argues that the CD and its transcript, which are vital to the complainant’s case, were never shared with the defense, despite explicit court directions. This not only obstructs the defense’s preparation but also constitutes contempt of court.
Additionally, the application accuses Savarkar of presenting contradictory documents, including two differing versions of a family tree. One version allegedly omits the name of his mother, Himani Savarkar, who is said to have connections to Nathuram Godse’s family.
This raises serious questions about the credibility of the documents submitted by the complainant.
The plea describes the complainant’s conduct as reflecting “irresponsibility and arrogance.”
The defamation case against Gandhi originates from a speech he delivered in London in March 2023, in which he purportedly referenced an incident from Savarkar’s writings, claiming that Savarkar and others had assaulted a Muslim man and found the act “pleasurable.”
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi Granted Bail in Savarkar Defamation Case by Pune Court
Satyaki Savarkar has denied that such an account exists in Savarkar’s works and filed a complaint under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, along with a request for compensation under Section 357 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Earlier this year, the Court approved Gandhi’s request to change the case from a summary trial to a summons trial.
The Court recorded his plea of “not guilty” on July 11, and the case is now set to proceed to trial.
Case Title: Satyaki Savarkar v Rahul Gandhi
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