Pune | A grandnephew of V D Savarkar acknowledged before a Pune court that the Hindutva ideologue had filed 10 clemency petitions with the British government in which he sought reduction in his sentence, but said their tone was not of humility and they did not contain words expressing loyalty to the then rulers.

The grandnephew, Satyaki Savarkar, also said there was no obligation on prisoners to submit such petitions.

His acknowledgement came on Monday during his cross-examination by advocate Milind Pawar, appearing for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in an ongoing criminal defamation case before Special Judge Amol Shinde of the MP/MLA court.

The case stems from Gandhi's alleged remarks made during a speech in London in March 2023.

Satyaki Savarkar had filed a complaint alleging that Gandhi defamed Vinayak Damodar Savarkar by claiming in his speech that the Hindutva ideologue had written in a book that he and five to six friends had assaulted a Muslim youth and derived pleasure from the act. The complainant has maintained that no such incident appears in Savarkar's writings.

During the cross-examination, Satyaki acknowledged that "Savarkar had filed a clemency petition 10 times" and that records of the petitions were available with the government.

He also agreed that "filing a mercy petition is an official procedure intended to seek a reduction in the sentence, and Savarkar availed himself of this very process".

The complainant also stated that no prisoner was under any obligation to file a mercy petition and that whether to submit one depended on the concerned prisoner's preference.

In his deposition, Satyaki Savarkar agreed that records of 10 clemency petitions exist with the government and that the British administration had the authority to reduce or alter sentences on such petitions.

He also stated that he did not possess any comparative study or expert report comparing Savarkar's mercy petitions with those of other prisoners or establishing that the language used in the petitions was merely formal or strategic.

Satyaki further said he was unaware whether Savarkar signed every petition with the phrase, "I beg to remain, Sir, your most obedient servant, V D Savarkar."

Satyaki told the court that while V D Savarkar filed clemency petitions, their tone was not of humility and did not contain words expressing loyalty to the British government.

He further stated that in those petitions, V D Savarkar requested reduction in the sentence.

Referring to revolutionary figures of the era, Satyaki agreed that revolutionaries such as Rajguru, Batukeshwar Dutt and Ashfaqulla Khan did not file clemency petitions, though he added that he did not know the names of all prisoners who may have submitted such pleas.

The cross-examination record also notes that the witness referred to the views of Reginald Craddock, then Home Member of the Government of India, who had described the language used in Savarkar's mercy petition as "deceptive".

Rahul Gandhi has contested the allegations and sought to rely on historical material in his defence.

The proceedings in the case are continuing before the special MP/MLA court in Pune.