‘Veer’ Under Scrutiny: Savarkar’s Grandnephew Concedes Ten Mercy Petitions To British In Rahul Gandhi Defamation Trial
Admissions during cross-examination in a Pune court deepen the debate over Savarkar’s legacy — even as the complainant maintains the petitions expressed no loyalty to colonial rulers
By NewsArc Bureau
PUNE, June 15 — A criminal defamation trial in a Pune court against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a telling turn on Monday when the complainant himself — Satyaki Savarkar, grandnephew of right-wing ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar — confirmed under cross-examination that his grand uncle had filed ten clemency petitions with the British colonial administration seeking a reduction in his prison sentence.
The disclosures, made before Special Judge Amol Shinde, came as Gandhi’s counsel Milind Pawar pressed Satyaki on the specifics of Savarkar’s conduct during his incarceration in the Andaman Islands. The admissions, while framed carefully by the complainant as consistent with Savarkar’s nationalist credentials, nonetheless handed the defence a string of concessions on record.
Crucially, Satyaki acknowledged that fellow freedom fighters — including Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Batukeshwar Dutt, and Ashfaqulla Khan — had not filed similar clemency appeals with the British. He further conceded that Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt had in fact petitioned the British to be treated as prisoners of war while simultaneously refusing any clemency or leniency, and remained committed to their ideological positions until their executions.
The first of Savarkar’s ten petitions, Satyaki confirmed, was submitted within a month of his sentencing.
The witness was at pains, however, to contextualise the petitions. He argued that seeking clemency was a standard and legally permissible procedure available to all prisoners under the British penal system, and that Savarkar was not the only convict to have availed himself of it. He maintained that the language of the petitions did not reflect any expression of loyalty toward the colonial government and that they simply sought a reduction in sentence through prescribed official channels.
Satyaki also confirmed that the British administration rejected all ten petitions, with British authorities noting in their replies that they feared Savarkar, if released, would resume participation in revolutionary activities and pose a threat to continued colonial rule — a fact the complainant said reflected the British view of Savarkar as a genuine threat to their dominion.
The court also recorded excerpts from one of the petitions, in which Savarkar highlighted the differential treatment he received compared with other Andaman detainees — noting that while others had been released, he was classified as a Class D prisoner and subjected to harsher conditions.
On the question of whether the petitions were a matter of tactical strategy or genuine submission, Satyaki acknowledged there was no expert comparative study available that contrasted the content of Savarkar’s petitions with those of other prisoners. He also stated he was unaware whether Savarkar had signed each petition with the phrase identifying himself as the British government’s “most obedient servant.”
The hearing was part of the defamation complaint filed by Satyaki Savarkar against Gandhi over a speech the Congress leader delivered to the Overseas Congress in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2023. The complaint alleges that Gandhi made false and malicious claims about Savarkar — including attributing to him a book passage he never wrote — with the intent of damaging the Savarkar family’s reputation. The case seeks maximum punishment under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code and compensation under Section 357 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Satyaki’s cross-examination is scheduled to resume on July 1.
