Court rejects Rahul's plea seeking info on Savarkar grand-nephew's lineage
What's the story
A Pune court has rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's plea for information on the maternal lineage of Satyaki Savarkar, the grand-nephew of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar.
The court observed that the case is centered around an alleged defamatory speech made by Gandhi in London and not about Savarkar's family history.
Judicial Magistrate Amol Shinde dismissed the application, saying there was no merit in it.
Case details
Court dismisses Gandhi's plea, rejects bail cancellation request
Gandhi had argued through his counsel, Milind Pawar, that while Satyaki Savarkar provided details of his paternal ancestry in the complaint, his maternal lineage was not disclosed.
The defense contended this information was essential for the hearing.
However, the court ruled that "the case is not related to or disputed on the family tree of late Himani Ashok Savarkar," thus rejecting Gandhi's plea.
Bail status
Court rejects Savarkar's bail cancelation request
The court also rejected Satyaki Savarkar's plea to cancel Gandhi's bail, stating the reasons given were insufficient.
Savarkar had alleged that Gandhi was adopting delaying tactics in the proceedings since January 10, 2025.
However, the judge found no evidence of intentional delays by Gandhi: "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."
Complaint details
Defamation complaint against Gandhi over London speech
The defamation complaint was filed by Satyaki Savarkar after Gandhi's March 2023 speech in London.
In his speech, Gandhi allegedly claimed that VD Savarkar wrote about an incident where he and his friends assaulted a Muslim man and felt happy about it.
The complainant argued that these remarks were "fictitious, false, and malicious," as Savarkar never made such claims.