Savarkar's Grandnephew Testifies in Defamation Case, Cites Ten Mercy Petitions

Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, testified in a Pune court that Savarkar submitted ten mercy petitions to the British government seeking sentence reduction. This testimony was part of a criminal defamation case filed by Satyaki against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Satyaki stated that unlike other revolutionaries who did not file mercy petitions, Savarkar did so within a month of his sentencing. He confirmed that records of these petitions exist in government archives. Satyaki also acknowledged that Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt refused leniency and stood by their ideology, though he was unaware if they petitioned the British government as prisoners of war.

Testimony regarding Savarkar's mercy petitions is central to a defamation case, potentially influencing historical narratives and political discourse.