A Pune court was on Wednesday informed that the popular honorific “Swatantryaveer” used for Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar did not stem from any formal government conferment [Satyaki Savarkar v Rahul Gandhi].
Further, there is no documentary proof that it was formally bestowed on him by the people either, it was submitted.
This was stated by Savarkar's grandnephew Satyaki Savarkar as part of the evidence in the defamation case filed by him against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
“It is true to say that, ‘Swatantryaveer’ title is not granted by the Government to Swatantryaveer Savarkar. It is not true to say that the title of Swatantryaveer was not bestowed upon Savarkar by the people. It is true to say that I do not have any documentary evidence to show that the people conferred the title of Swatantryaveer on Savarkar,” Satyaki stated.
The trial in the defamation case against is being conducted by Judicial Magistrate First Class Amol Shriram Shinde.
Satyaki told the court that the title “Swatantryaveer” had not been granted by the government. At the same time, he denied the suggestion that the title was not conferred by the people though he does not have any proof that it was conferred by people either.
He confirmed that the title appears in a biography of Savarkar written by author Sadashiv Ranade, adding that he did not know whether Ranade had coined the title from his imagination.
The case against Rahul Gandhi stems from a speech given by him in London in March 2023. In the speech, Gandhi allegedly cited Savarkar's writings to claim that Savarkar and others had assaulted a Muslim man and found the act "pleasurable."
Satyaki has countered this by asserting that no such incident is found in Savarkar's published works.
He accused Gandhi of making remarks that are factually incorrect, misleading, and defamatory, thereby distorting history and damaging Savarkar's reputation.
Consequently, Satyaki is seeking Gandhi's conviction under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code and compensation under Section 357 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
During his deposition, Satyaki described himself as a writer but “not a historian” and acknowledged several gaps in his knowledge of Savarkar’s writings.
He accepted that Savarkar stayed in London for about four years, later shifted to Paris, and wrote many books and articles during this period.
However, he could not state how many such books and articles Savarkar had written under others’ names, how many are available today, or what exactly has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines.
He further said he did not know what researchers, writers and students in London have written about Savarkar though he said that Savarkar’s writings remain under active research.
The cross‑examination of Satyaki Savarkar was deferred to April 13.
Advocate Milind Pawar appeared for Gandhi while advocate Sangram Kolhatkar represented Satyaki Savarkar.