Savarkar Defamation: Rahul Gandhi tells Pune court he faces threat to life, cites complainant's Godse lineage

Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi told a Pune court on Wednesday that he faces threat to life in view of his recent political battles and the lineage of complainant Satyaki Savarkar in the defamation case against him.

He urged the special MP/MLA court, which is hearing a defamation case, to take judicial notice of what he has described as “grave apprehensions” to his safety and to the fairness of proceedings in the case.

He also sought "preventive protection" by State.

“Preventive protection is not only prudent but is a constitutional obligation upon the State," it was stated. 

In the application filed through advocate Milind Dattatraya Pawar, Gandhi said the move was a “protective and precautionary measure for safeguarding the fairness, integrity, and transparency of the present proceedings.”

The application also noted that in a written statement filed on July 29, Satyaki Savarkar had categorically admitted that he is a direct descendant through his maternal family lineage of Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse, the principal accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, and also claimed descent from Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

"Given the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant’s lineage… there exists a clear, reasonable, and substantial apprehension that Shri Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting,” it was submitted.

The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi was not an act of impulse; rather it was the calculated outcome of a conspiracy, rooted in a specific ideology, culminating in deliberate violence against an unarmed person, the plea said.

“In view of the grave history associated with such lineage, the defence harbours a genuine and reasonable apprehension that history must not be permitted to repeat itself,” it was submitted.

The application also detailed Gandhi’s recent political interventions including the August 11 slogan “Vote Chor Sarkar” in parliament and the submission of documents alleging electoral irregularities, actions, which he claimed, have triggered hostility from political opponents. 

The plea also referred to his speech in parliament in which he said, "A true Hindu is never violent. A Hindu cannot spread hatred. The BJP spreads hatred and violence, and you do not represent Hindus.”

He highlighted how immediate press conferences were held by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accusing him of insulting the Hindu community and lowering the dignity of his position.

It also cited two public threats, one by Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu calling Gandhi the “number one terrorist of the country” and another by BJP leader Tarvinder Singh Marwah.

The defamation case against Gandhi was filed by Satyaki Savarkar after the former made a speech in London in March 2023, referring to an incident in Savarkar’s writings where Savarkar and others purportedly assaulted a Muslim man and found it “pleasurable.”

Satyaki Savarkar disputed the existence of such an account in Savarkar’s published works and moved the Court contending the remarks were false, misleading and defamatory.

He has sought Gandhi’s conviction under Section 500 IPC and compensation under Section 357 CrPC.

The Court will next hear the matter on September 10.