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In a significant development in the ongoing criminal defamation trial against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Vinayak Savarkar’s grandnephew Satyaki told a Special Court in Pune that his maternal grandfather Gopal Godse and Nathuram Godse were “active” members of the RSS.
Nathuram Godse killed Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. Satyaki is the person who accused Gandhi of defaming Savarkar during a speech in London, and Gandhi’s lawyer, Milind Pawar, is now cross-examining him in court.
Family Connections Confirmed
During cross-examination on August 17, before Special Judge Amol Shinde, Satyaki confirmed that his mother was Gopal Godse’s daughter, and that Gopal Godse was Nathuram Godse’s brother. He also confirmed that the Godse family and the Savarkar family were related. He said that besides Nathuram, both Gopal Godse and Savarkar were also accused in the Mahatma Gandhi murder case.
Satyaki told the court: “It is true that my maternal grandfather Gopalrao Godse and Vinayak Savarkar were accused in the murder case. It is true that my granduncle Nathuram Godse shot and killed Mahatma Gandhi while he was walking to Birla House, Delhi, for prayer.” He added on his own that Gandhi lay unattended for about 20 minutes after being shot and was not taken to a nearby hospital, calling this “the apathy of the Government at that time.”
List of the Accused
Satyaki listed all eight accused in the Mahatma Gandhi murder case: Nathuram Godse (accused 1), Narayan Apte (accused 2), Vishnu Karkare (accused 3), Madanlal Pahava (accused 4), Shankar Kistayya (accused 5), Gopal Godse (accused 6), Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (accused 7), and Dr. D.S. Parchure (accused 8).
He confirmed: “Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte were sentenced to death. Gopal Godse was sentenced to life imprisonment and, after serving his sentence, came to live in Pune. He lived in Pune for about 35 years and died there. While living in Pune, Gopal Godse wrote newspaper articles and books.”
Defence Objects to the Questions
Satyaki’s lawyer, Sangram Kolhatkar, objected, saying these questions were not relevant to the defamation case. The court said it would decide the relevance question later, at the time of the final trial decision.
Statement on RSS Membership
Satyaki then said: “It is true that my grandfather Gopal Godse and Nathuram Godse were active members of the RSS.” However, he said he did not know several other facts put to him, including that Gopal Godse gave an interview to Frontline magazine on January 28, 1994, that Nathuram Godse worked as an “Intellectual Executive” in 1944, that RSS’s second chief, M.S. Golwalkar, and one Digambar Badage were also accused in the case, that Badage was arrested in Pune on January 31, 1948, or that Badage later became an approver in the case. However, he confirmed that Nathuram Godse was a member of the Hindu Mahasabha political party.
Kolhatkar objected again. He argued that questions about Gandhi’s assassination and the RSS had nothing to do with the defamation case. The court again said it would rule on this objection only when deciding the case finally.
Hindu Mahasabha Family Ties
Satyaki also admitted that his wife and his maternal grandfather were members of the Hindu Mahasabha party. He confirmed this party still exists today. He also confirmed that after Savarkar was released from Andaman jail, Savarkar became President of the Hindu Mahasabha and held that post from 1937 to 1943.
The cross-examination will resume on September 1.
Request for Rahul Gandhi’s Voice Sample
Separately, Satyaki’s lawyer Kolhatkar filed an application in court. He asked the court to order Rahul Gandhi to give a voice sample. This sample would be compared with the audio recording of Gandhi’s London speech.
The application says the cross-examination is happening in a slow, “piecemeal” way, causing unnecessary delay. It also points out that Gandhi had earlier asked to skip appearing in person in Pune, citing security concerns, since Pune is Nathuram Godse’s hometown. But the application notes that Gandhi was actually scheduled to attend a public event in Pune around August 22.
Pawar objected to the application verbally. The court asked him to submit his response in writing, and postponed the matter to September 1.
Background of the Case
The defamation complaint claims Gandhi has repeatedly made defamatory statements about Savarkar over the years. One example mentioned is a speech Gandhi gave to the Overseas Congress in the UK on March 5, 2023.
Satyaki claims Gandhi knowingly made false statements to damage Savarkar’s reputation and cause distress to his family. The speech was given in England, but the complaint says its impact was felt in Pune once it was published and shared across India.
Satyaki has submitted news reports and a YouTube link of the speech as evidence.
He claims Gandhi falsely said that Savarkar wrote a book describing an incident where he assaulted a Muslim person. Satyaki says no such book exists and no such incident ever happened.
Satyaki also claims Gandhi made these false and malicious statements on purpose, specifically to damage Savarkar’s reputation. The complaint asks for the maximum punishment against Gandhi under Section 500 of the IPC, which deals with defamation. It also asks for maximum compensation under Section 357 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Case Details: Satyaki Savarkar vs Rahul Gandhi (S.C.C. No. 73377 of 2024)