In a significant development in the criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s grandnephew Satyaki Savarkar on Thursday told a special court in Pune that the Hindutva ideologue had authored a book that questioned the existence of God, criticised religious practices and argued for a scientific understanding of Sanatan Dharma.
During his cross-examination before Special Judge Amol Shinde, Satyaki accepted that the book Savarkaraanche Vigyannishth Nibandh (Savarkar’s Science-oriented Essays) was written by Savarkar himself. The admission came after Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer Milind Pawar produced a copy of the book and read out passages from it questioning traditional religious beliefs.
The cross-examination focused on Savarkar’s views on religion, God and scientific temper. Pawar referred to passages where Savarkar questioned the idea of a personal relationship between humans and God, arguing that people should rely on reason rather than blind faith.
The lawyer highlighted excerpts in which Savarkar questioned why Hindu deities did not intervene during historical events such as invasions and destruction of temples.
“Man should altogether abandon the childish desire to establish a personal relationship with the God of the universe – like a roadside beggar trying to claim kinship with an emperor. That alone is the proper course, because that alone is the truth. The belief, ‘God will do good for me, and if He does, I shall perform a Satyanarayan Puja in gratitude,’ is utterly foolish. For if that were really true, then who is it that first throws us into the very calamities from which we later claim God has rescued us? It is the same Satyanarayan, the same God! If a man first cuts your throat and then applies ointment to the wound, should you worship him merely because he applied the ointment? Should you not first ask why he cut your throat in the first place and rebuke him for it? In relation to the universe, both these attitudes are equally baseless and irrational,” one passage reads.
In one passage cited before the court, Savarkar criticised the belief that God would punish people for failing to perform rituals while remaining silent during larger social and political crises.
“From Kashi to Rameshwaram, countless temples were destroyed, and their idols were used as steps in the stairways of Mosques. Yet God did not become angry at those Muslim atrocities. But here, if a Hindu merely forgets to fulfil a vow of offering a coconut, or if a Hindu village fails one year to sacrifice the customary goat to Bahiroba, then that very God is supposed to become enraged! It is then believed that He will destroy that Hindu family or bring an epidemic upon the village,” Savarkar wrote.
Pawar further pointed to Savarkar’s criticism of certain practices described in religious texts, including references to the Manusmriti, asking whether such practices could be considered part of Sanatan Dharma.
Another section read out in court dealt with Savarkar’s interpretation of Sanatan Dharma. According to the passage cited, Savarkar described the eternal principles of nature and its laws as the true meaning of “Sanatan”, arguing that these principles evolve with changing times. He also emphasised the importance of scientific temper over rituals and prayers.
Although Satyaki acknowledged that the book contained these writings, his lawyer objected to the relevance of the passages during the cross-examination.
The court, however, observed that Satyaki himself had referred to the book during his examination-in-chief and therefore Gandhi’s counsel was entitled to question him about its contents.
The cross-examination will continue on August 4.
Rahul Gandhi Defamation Case
The case stems from a complaint filed by Satyaki Savarkar against Rahul Gandhi over remarks allegedly made during a speech at an event in London on March 5, 2023. Satyaki has accused Gandhi of making false and defamatory statements about Savarkar, claiming that Gandhi wrongly alleged that Savarkar had written about assaulting a Muslim man.
Satyaki has sought action against Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with punishment for defamation, and has also sought compensation under relevant provisions of criminal procedure law. Gandhi has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty in the case.
The trial has brought several historical and ideological debates surrounding Savarkar’s writings into the courtroom, with Gandhi’s defence seeking to examine his views on religion, politics and social reform as part of its arguments.