Now, Savarkar's grandson files defamation against Rahul Gandhi

A family member of poet and freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar has filed a criminal defamation complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks against the saffron ideologue.

"Rahul Gandhi went to England last month and in one of the gatherings commented that Veer Savarkar wrote in his book that he, along with his 5-6 friends, beat a Muslim and Veer Savarkar enjoyed it. The remark is an insult because that incident is a figment of his imagination.

We've been hearing a lot from Rahul Gandhi and some of his followers about so-called petitions and pensions. Those were actually sustenance allowance and clemency petitions. We have moved court," ANI quoted Satyaki Savarkar, the grandson of one of the siblings of the freedom fighter, as saying.

"After a point, we felt enough was enough and this needs to stop. Hence, we moved court. Let the court decide now," he added.

He claimed a video of Rahul Gandhi making these statements during the interaction is available and will be submitted in court.

Advocate Anirudh Ganu, one of the two lawyers representing Satyaki Savarkar, said, "Since the court officer (assistant registrar) was not there in the court, they told us to come on Saturday and the case number will be issued".

It has to be noted that a metropolitan court in Surat on March 23 convicted Rahul Gandhi of criminal defamation for his 2019 remark, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?", and sentenced him to two years in jail, leading to his disqualification as a Lok Sabha member.

Subsequently, Rahul Gandhi moved the sessions court which granted him bail on April 3 and kept hearing on his plea for a stay of conviction on April 13.

Likewise, an RSS worker lodged a defamation complaint against Rahul in a Haridwar court for describing the organisation as "Kauravas of the 21st century."