Savarkar’s kin questions delay in probe into defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi

PUNE Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s grand nephew Satyaki Ashok Savarkar, on Thursday alleged that there was considerable delay by Pune city police in their probe of his criminal defamation related complaint filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing reporters in city, he said that the probe must be expedited as the police informed the court on April 2 that they need additional time to submit their report on the complaint before the local court.

Satyaki Savarkar filed a complaint in the court April 2023 where he accused Gandhi l for making false claims about his grand father in his address in London in March 2023.

Gandhi during his address stated that Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy, the complaint alleged.

No such incident had ever taken place, and Savarkar never wrote any such thing anywhere, it said, terming Gandhi’s allegation as fictitious, false and malicious.

Satyaki Savarkar further informed mediapersons on Thursday that the court had earlier directed Vishrambaug police to verify the proof submitted by him, and file a report by May 27.

In such cases, the court generally seeks for preliminary probe and then decides whether there are enough grounds to register a First Information Report (FIR). Satyalki said that he had submitted a YouTube link of Gandhi’s London speech as proof.

“The court issued the orders in January this year, but so far nothing concrete has happened in the probe. Why is there a delay? Is it that YouTube is not responding to the police’s query, or are the police under pressure?” Savark questioned.

Savarkar’s counsel Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar said that Vishrambaug police on April 2 sought more time for submitting a report and told the court that YouTube did not give them required information.

As per the order copy provided by Kolhatkar , the court noted that information was awaited from YouTube, and police had sought a date after the Lok Sabha elections as they would be busy with security duties during the parliamentary elections .

Time was being granted accordingly, the court said. The next date was not mentioned in the court order. Savarkar further appealed Maharashtra deputy CM and home minister Devendra Fadnavis to look into the issue in the larger interests of justice.