A Pune court hearing hears testimony from Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar, who says V.D. Savarkar never hated Muslims. He argues that Savarkar’s writings focused on enabling Muslim social and educational progress, and he disputes Rahul Gandhi’s description of him as an extremist.
The testimony is part of a defamation dispute involving remarks Rahul Gandhi made in London in 2023. Both reports say the case centres on Gandhi’s characterisation of Savarkar as an “extreme hater of Muslims” and, in one account, as a person associated with mob lynching. Times of India also notes that evidence includes a separate interview involving Gopal Godse that discusses Nathuram Godse’s links to the RSS, which is being introduced as part of the proceedings. Other reporting highlights the disagreement over Savarkar’s alleged views toward Muslims, without adding further detail on the evidentiary items.
The accounts align on what is being argued in court—whether Gandhi’s comments misrepresented Savarkar’s stance toward Muslims—even though they differ in how much supporting context they provide.
