Pune, Oct 14 Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of V D Savarkar, has alleged that his cross-examination in the criminal defamation case filed by him against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is being prolonged by the defence and has apprehended that he is being followed or kept under surveillance.
Satyaki Savarkar on Wednesday filed a “pursis” before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde of the special MP/MLA Court in Pune alleging that the defence is prolonging his cross-examination for nearly 10 months, asking several questions which are irrelevant to the proceedings, his lawyer said.
Pursis is a written statement or formal notice which serves to update the court records, convey new information, or request a specific procedural action.
In the application through his lawyer Sangram Kolhatkar, Satyaki Savarkar has sought to restrain the accused (Rahul Gandhi) from asking questions concerning his daily routine, private engagements and attendance at social, cultural and public functions.
He stated that these matters have no connection with the subject of the complaint.
Advocate Milind Pawar has been cross-examining Satyaki Savarkar for almost 10 months.
Satyaki Savarkar alleged that despite several sittings, the defence had failed to conclude his cross-examination or provide a definite schedule for its completion.
In the court communication, Satyaki Savarkar stated that he was repeatedly questioned about his presence at various public functions, creating an apprehension of being continuously watched, followed and placed under surveillance.
He contended that such questioning caused hardship and a sense of insecurity and infringed upon his fundamental right to privacy, his lawyer said.
As a public figure involved in the day-to-day activities of his publishing business, Satyaki Savarkar is required to attend seminars, lectures and other programmes for business promotion. He argued that his personal life and social commitments are unrelated to the trial.
The written communication submitted to the court also alleged that the cross-examination was being directed towards independent social bodies, cultural forums and political organisations unrelated to the case, with Satyaki Savarkar claiming this was an attempt to politicise the proceedings and waste the court’s time.
The communication stated that Satyaki Savarkar had repeatedly objected to what he termed irrelevant and personal questions during the cross-examination. He expressed apprehension that unless such questioning was restricted, the proceedings could continue indefinitely.
Satyaki Savarkar had lodged a complaint against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha in 2023, alleging that Rahul Gandhi made defamatory remarks about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar during a speech in London in March that year by falsely claiming that the Hindutva ideologue had written in a book about assaulting a Muslim man and deriving pleasure from it.
The complainant has contended that Savarkar never made such a statement in any of his writings.
(PTI News)
