Savarkar’s grandnephew tells Pune court, Nathuram Godse was an active RSS member.

Was Nathuram Godse an Active RSS Member? What Savarkar’s Grandnephew Told a Pune Court in the Rahul Gandhi Defamation Case.

Upendra Bharti | HENB | Pune | Aug 218, 2026:: Satyaki Savarkar, grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, told a Pune court on Monday, August 17, that Nathuram Godse and his brother Gopal Godse were “active members” of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He made the statement while being cross-examined in the criminal defamation case he filed against Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Satyaki, the complainant in the case, was cross-examined by Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer, advocate Milind D. Pawar, before Special Judge Amol Shinde.

During the proceedings, Satyaki also acknowledged that his maternal grandfather, Gopal Godse, and his granduncle, Vinayak Savarkar, were among those accused in the case relating to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

“It is true to say that my grandfather Gopal Godse and Nathuram Godse were active members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,” Satyaki said during the cross-examination, according to Live Law.

Satyaki further stated that Nathuram Godse was a member of the Hindu Mahasabha and that his maternal grandfather, Gopal Godse, and Savarkar had also been associated with the organisation.

However, Satyaki said he did not know whether Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, the RSS’s second chief, and Digambar Badge were also accused in the Gandhi assassination case, according to Bar and Bench.

Savarkar’s Political Career

During the cross-examination, Satyaki said that Savarkar became active in politics after his release from British imprisonment and served as president of the Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943.

His lawyer, Sangram Kothalkar, objected to several questions concerning the RSS and the circumstances surrounding Gandhi’s assassination, arguing that they were not relevant to the defamation proceedings. The court said it would consider the objections at the time of delivering its final judgment.

Satyaki also claimed in his deposition that Gandhi lay unattended for around 20 minutes after being shot, alleging that this demonstrated “the apathy of the government at that time towards Gandhiji.”

Godse’s RSS Connection

Satyaki Savarkar’s deposition has brought the question of Nathuram Godse’s association with the RSS back into focus in the ongoing defamation proceedings. During cross-examination, Satyaki stated that both Nathuram Godse and his brother Gopal Godse were “active members” of the RSS. He also said that Nathuram Godse was associated with the Hindu Mahasabha. However, the court has not yet made any finding on the significance or historical accuracy of these claims, and the statements remain part of the evidence being examined in the defamation case.

Background of the Defamation Case

Satyaki filed the criminal defamation case over a speech Rahul Gandhi delivered in London on March 5, 2023, in which Gandhi allegedly made remarks about Vinayak Savarkar.

According to Satyaki’s complaint, Gandhi had claimed that Savarkar wrote about assaulting a Muslim man and deriving pleasure from the act. Satyaki has disputed the existence of any such account in Savarkar’s writings and accused Gandhi of making false and defamatory statements intended to damage Savarkar’s reputation.

He has sought Gandhi’s conviction under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which provides punishment for defamation, along with compensation under Section 357 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The case is currently at the stage of Satyaki’s cross-examination, with further proceedings scheduled to continue on September 1.

Meanwhile, Satyaki’s lawyer has separately filed an application seeking an order for the collection of Rahul Gandhi’s voice sample. The application seeks to compare Gandhi’s voice with the audio recording of his London speech that has been submitted as evidence in the case.
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