Title ‘Swatantryaveer’ not conferred by government on Savarkar, grandnephew tells court

Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Vinayak Savarkar and complainant in a criminal defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, testified before a special MP/MLA court in Pune that the title ‘Swatantryaveer’ was not granted to Savarkar by any government. He said the title was given by writer Sadashiv Ranade in a biography.

Satyaki Savarkar, who is being cross-examined by Mr. Gandhi’s counsel Milind Pawar, made the statement on Wednesday (April 8, 2026) before Special Judge Amol Shinde. The cross-examination is part of a defamation complaint filed by Satyaki against Mr. Gandhi over remarks the Congress leader made about Savarkar.