Latest news with #SatyakiSavarkar
Scroll.in
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Probing link between Savarkar, Godse families not needed to decide defamation case: Pune court
A Pune court has held that looking into any possible family ties between Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar and MK Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse was not necessary to decide a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Live Law reported. The case pertains to a complaint filed by VD Savarkar's grand-nephew Satyaki Savarkar in April 2023 against Gandhi, accusing him of making fictitious, false and malicious remarks about the Hindutva ideologue. As part of the proceedings, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha had sought details about the maternal family tree of Satyaki Savarkar. Gandhi claimed that the Hindutva ideologue's grand-nephew hid important facts about his maternal side, particularly that he is the grandson of Gopal Vinayak Godse, brother of Nathuram Godse. However, the judge, Amol Shriram Shinde, rejected the plea, saying the case had nothing to do with the complainant's family tree and it wasn't relevant to the matter being heard, Bar and Bench reported. 'The case is not related or family tree of late Smt. Himani Ashok Savarkar [Satyaki Savarkar's mother] is not disputed in this case,' the order dated May 28 said. 'This court does not find any merits in the application of the accused…and [it]…is liable to be rejected. The judge added that the case was only related to the alleged defamatory speech made by Gandhi in London against VD Savarkar. He further said that the burden of proof that Gandhi made defamatory statements against VD Savarkar lies with the complainant, Satyaki Savarkar, Live Law reported. In April, a Pune court had accepted the Congress leader's request to convert the defamation case into a summons trial–allowing for detailed evidence and cross-examination–after he argued that his remarks were based on historical facts.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Defamation case: Pune court dismisses Rahul Gandhi's plea seeking details on Savarkar grand-nephew's maternal lineage
A special court in Pune on Saturday dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's plea seeking details of the maternal lineage of Satyaki Savarkar, the grand-nephew of VD Savarkar, stating that the issue is not relevant to the ongoing defamation case. Gandhi's advocate, Milind Pawar, had moved an application on May 28, arguing that the complainant, Satyaki, had deliberately failed to disclose that Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar was related to Mahatma Gandhi's assassin, Nathuram Godse. Pawar contended this omission was significant in the ongoing criminal defamation case filed by Satyaki against Gandhi. Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde dismissed the application, observing that the case pertains to an alleged defamatory speech made by Gandhi in London and not to the family tree of late Himani Ashok Savarkar, the mother of Satyaki Savarkar. 'The family tree of the late Himani Savarkar is not in dispute in this case. Therefore, the application lacks merit and is liable to be rejected. There is no need for further investigation,' the court said. Himani Savarkar was the daughter of Gopal Vinayak Godse, the younger brother of Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. Gandhi, through his counsel Pawar, had submitted that while the complainant had provided details of his paternal ancestry while filing the complaint, his maternal lineage had not been disclosed. Meanwhile, the court also rejected Satyaki Savarkar's application seeking cancellation of Gandhi's bail, stating that the grounds cited were not sufficient to warrant such action. Savarkar had alleged in his plea that the case has already posted for the recording of a plea of the accused since January 10, 2025, but the latter is not recording his plea on one pretext or another and adopting delaying tactics. The judge noted that Gandhi had been granted bail with a permanent exemption from personal appearance and there was no evidence to suggest that he was deliberately delaying the proceedings. 'It is not found that the accused is prolonging the matter. The grounds mentioned in the application are not justified to take strict action against the accused. Hence, the application is liable to be rejected,' the order stated. Satyaki Savarkar had filed a defamation complaint against Gandhi over his speech in London in March 2023, wherein the Congress leader allegedly claimed that VD Savarkar had written in a book that he and a group of friends once beat up a Muslim man and that Savarkar felt happy about it. (With Agency Inputs)
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Court rejects Rahul Gandhi's plea for plaintiff's lineage in Savarkar case
A local Pune court on Saturday turned down Rahul Gandhi's request for information about the maternal ancestry of Satyaki Savarkar, who is the grand-nephew of VD Savarkar. This was part of a defamation case Satyaki had filed against the Congress leader over alleged derogatory comments about the Hindutva ideologue. Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde rejected the plea, saying the case was focused on Gandhi's alleged defamatory speech in London, not on the family background of Satyaki Savarkar's mother, the late Himani Ashok Savarkar. She was the daughter of Gopal Vinayak Godse, who was the younger brother of Nathuram Godse — the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's lawyer, Milind Pawar, argued that although Satyaki had given details of his father's lineage in the complaint, he had not revealed anything about his maternal side. The defence maintained that this was important for the case. However, the court disagreed. "The case is not related to or disputed on the family tree of late Himani Ashok Savarkar. Therefore, this court does not find any merit in the application of the accused. There is also no need to send the matter for further investigation," the court noted in its ruling. Attempt to cancel bail also rejected In a separate development, the court also dismissed Satyaki Savarkar's application to cancel Gandhi's bail. Savarkar claimed that the case had been scheduled for Gandhi's plea to be recorded since January 10, 2025, but the Congress leader was allegedly avoiding it under various pretexts. The judge observed that Gandhi had been granted bail along with a permanent exemption from appearing in person and found no proof that he was trying to stall the proceedings. "It is not found that the accused is prolonging the matter. The grounds mentioned in the application are not justified to take strict action against the accused. Hence, the application is liable to be rejected," the court stated. Case background Satyaki Savarkar's defamation complaint stems from a speech Gandhi gave in London in March 2023. During the speech, Gandhi allegedly said that VD Savarkar had written in a book about beating up a Muslim man along with some friends and feeling pleased about it. Satyaki refuted this, insisting that VD Savarkar had never made such claims and calling Gandhi's statements "fictitious, false, and malicious."
United News of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Pune Court rejects Rahul Gandhi's plea on Savarkar lineage in defamation row
Mumbai, May 31 (UNI) A Pune court on Saturday dismissed Rahul Gandhi's application seeking details of the maternal lineage of Satyaki Savarkar, the grand-nephew of Hindutva icon VD Savarkar, in connection with a defamation case filed against the senior Congress leader. Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde ruled that the matter at hand concerns Rahul Gandhi's alleged defamatory remarks made during a speech in London, not the family tree of Satyaki Savarkar's mother, the late Himani Ashok Savarkar. The court found no merit in Gandhi's request, stating that the complainant's maternal ancestry was irrelevant to the proceedings and that no further investigation was warranted. Advocate Milind Pawar, appearing for the Congress leader, had argued that the complainant's maternal lineage was necessary for the defence, as only paternal details had been provided. The court, however, rejected this argument outright. In a related development, the court also turned down Satyaki Savarkar's plea to cancel Gandhi's bail, noting that the grounds cited were insufficient. The judge observed that Gandhi had been granted bail with a permanent exemption from personal appearance and found no evidence that he was deliberately delaying the proceedings. Satyaki Savarkar's defamation complaint stems from Gandhi's March 2023 speech in London, where the Congress leader allegedly claimed that VD Savarkar had written about beating up a Muslim man and feeling happy about it. The complainant has denied such claims, describing Gandhi's remarks as 'fictitious, false, and malicious". UNI AAA SP RN
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Defamation case: Court rejects Rahul's plea seeking info on Savarkar grand-nephew's maternal lineage
A court in Pune on Saturday (May 31, 2025) rejected Rahul Gandhi's application seeking details of the maternal lineage of Satyaki Savarkar, the grand-nephew of V.D. Savarkar, over his defamation complaint filed against the Congress leader for his alleged objectionable remarks against the Hindutva ideologue. Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde dismissed the application, observing that the case pertains to an alleged defamatory speech made by Mr. Gandhi in London and not to the family tree of late Himani Ashok Savarkar, the mother of Mr. Satyaki Savarkar. Himani Savarkar was the daughter of Gopal Vinayak Godse, the younger brother of Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. Mr. Gandhi, through his counsel Milind Pawar, had submitted that while the complainant had provided details of his paternal ancestry while filing the complaint, his maternal lineage had not been disclosed. The defence argued that this information was crucial for the hearing. 'The case is not related to or disputed on the family tree of late Himani Ashok Savarkar. Therefore, this Court does not find any merit in the application of the accused. There is also no need to send the matter for further investigation,' the Court said in its order. Meanwhile, the Court also rejected Mr. Satyaki Savarkar's application seeking cancellation of Mr. Gandhi's bail, stating that the grounds cited were not sufficient to warrant such action. Mr. Satyaki Savarkar had alleged in his plea that the case is already posted for recording of plea of the accused since January 10, 2025, but the latter is not recording his plea on one pretext or another and adopting delaying tactics. The Judge noted that Mr. Gandhi had been granted bail with a permanent exemption from personal appearance and there was no evidence to suggest that he was deliberately delaying the proceedings. 'It is not found that the accused is prolonging the matter. The grounds mentioned in the application are not justified to take strict action against the accused. Hence, the application is liable to be rejected,' the order stated. Mr. Satyaki Savarkar had filed a defamation complaint against Mr. Gandhi over his speech in London in March 2023, wherein the Congress leader allegedly claimed that V.D. Savarkar had written in a book that he and a group of friends once beat up a Muslim man, and that Savarkar felt happy about it. The complainant contended that Savarkar never made such claims and termed Mr. Gandhi's remarks 'fictitious, false, and malicious'.
