Savarkar kin tells court Godse was active RSS member

Vinayak Savarkar's grandnephew Satyaki Savarkar told a Pune court on Monday that Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse was an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The statement came during cross-examination in a criminal defamation case filed by Satyaki against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Satyaki affirmed that Godse shot Gandhi on January 30, 1948, and conceded that his maternal grandfather Gopal Godse and granduncle Vinayak Savarkar were among the accused in the assassination case. He also claimed that after being shot, Gandhi lay unattended for about 20 minutes, calling it 'the apathy of the government at that time'.

The defamation case stems from a March 2023 speech in London where Gandhi allegedly said Savarkar had written about assaulting a Muslim man. Satyaki denies any such account exists. His lawyer has sought Gandhi's voice samples, citing the latter's scheduled visit to Pune on August 22. Further hearing is set for September 1.