Rahul Gandhi defamation case: Gandhi murder, Godse links raised in court

Satyaki’s father Ashok was son of V D Savarkar’s brother Narayan Savarkar. Satyaki’s mother Himani Savarkar was the daughter of Gopal Godse, brother of Nathuram Godse.

Savarkar, Nathuram and Gopal Godse were among those arrested for Mahatma Gandhi’s murder. While Savarkar was acquitted, Nathuram and Gopal were convicted in this case. Nathuram faced death sentence. Gopal Godse was released after serving life imprisonment.

Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer asked Satyaki about the accused persons in Mahatma Gandhi’s assasination, along with Nathuram and Gopal Godse’s alleged links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Satyaki’s lawyer Sangram Kolhatkar raised an objection saying the defamation case has nothing to do with Mahatma Gandhi’s death or the RSS.

As per Satyaki’s complaint, Rahul Gandhi allegedly mentioned in his speech at London that V D Savarkar had written a book stating that he and some of his friends felt delighted by beating up a Muslim.

According to Satyaki, V D Savarkar had not written any such book, nor had such an incident ever happened. In his petition, Satyaki claimed that Rahul Gandhi intentionally made false and malicious allegations against V D Savarkar.

As per the court’s directions, the Pune City police conducted an inquiry and submitted a report on May 27, 2024, stating that Rahul Gandhi had defamed Savarkar in his London speech. Rahul Gandhi pleaded not guilty in the defamation case.

Application for obtaining Rahul’s voice samples

Satyaki Savakar on Monday requested the court to pass an order for obtaining the voice samples of Rahul Gandhi, who would be visiting Pune on August 22.

Satyaki had earlier filed an application for Rahul’s voice sample on February 17, 2026. He pressed the application for hearing on Monday, by making a submission that “the accused (Rahul Gandhi) had previously expressed concerns regarding his security and safety in Pune while seeking exemption from personal appearance. However, the accused has now himself arranged a visit to Pune for attending a programme, which clearly indicates that he is now satisfied with the security arrangements in Pune City.”

Advocate Pawar said, “Court has asked us to file our say by September 1. Cross examination of the complainant is on. So we argued there was no urgency for recording the voice samples.”