Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, has moved a Pune court seeking a structured timeline for the completion of his cross-examination in the criminal defamation proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, contending that the exercise has continued for over seven months and is causing him considerable mental anguish.
The application, filed before Judicial Magistrate First Class Amol Shinde, alleges that the cross-examination has been marked by repeated adjournments and prolonged intervals, disrupting the complainant’s personal life and delaying the progress of the trial. The court has sought Rahul Gandhi’s response to the plea and is scheduled to consider the application on August 14.
According to the application, Savarkar’s examination-in-chief concluded on December 31, 2025, following which the defence commenced its cross-examination. The complainant claims that despite the passage of several months, the cross-examination remains incomplete.
Savarkar has alleged that many of the questions posed by the defence are repetitive and bear no nexus to the issues involved in the criminal defamation case. He has contended that the line of questioning extends beyond matters raised in his examination-in-chief and has unnecessarily prolonged the proceedings.
The application further asserts that the continued cross-examination, interspersed with lengthy gaps between hearings, has adversely affected the complainant’s routine and caused avoidable hardship. It also states that the delay has impeded further steps in the prosecution, including efforts to secure electronic evidence from YouTube, for which permission has already been granted by the court.
Seeking judicial intervention, Savarkar has requested the court to direct Gandhi to indicate the number of hearing days or the period required to conclude the cross-examination so that an appropriate schedule can be fixed for completing the evidence.
The criminal defamation complaint stems from remarks allegedly made by Rahul Gandhi during a lecture in the United Kingdom in March 2023. Gandhi had referred to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s writings while claiming that Savarkar had described assaulting a Muslim man as a pleasurable act.
Disputing the assertion, Satyaki Savarkar filed the complaint, maintaining that no such account exists in Savarkar’s published works. He has alleged that Gandhi’s statements are factually incorrect, defamatory and have tarnished the reputation of the freedom fighter. The complaint seeks Gandhi’s conviction for criminal defamation under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, along with compensation under the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The trial presently remains at the stage of the complainant’s cross-examination. During the latest hearing, the defence confronted Savarkar with extracts from Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s writings on subjects including religious rituals, cow protection and rationalist thought, in an attempt to test the basis of the complaint.
The Pune court will now examine the complainant’s request for a time-bound completion of the cross-examination after considering the response to be filed by Rahul Gandhi.
The post Savarkar kin seeks time-bound cross-examination in Rahul Gandhi Defamation case,alleges prolonged questioning causing Mental distress appeared first on India Legal.