Defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: Savarkar's grandnephew deposes in Pune court
Pune (PTI): Satyaki Savarkar, grandnephew of V D Savarkar, on Friday deposed before a special court here in the defamation case linked to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks about the Hindutva ideologue, marking the beginning of the trial.
Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, representing complainant Satyaki Savarkar, said during the deposition, a part of his client's chief examination was recorded.
"In it, he spoke about his family background and how he came across an online link to Rahul Gandhi's speech delivered in London in March 2023. In that speech, Gandhi claimed V D Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six friends once beat up a Muslim man and had felt happy about it," Kolhatkar said.
In his deposition, Satyaki informed the court about the video, the date on which Gandhi made the speech, and the duration of the clip, he added.
Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi in the case, sought time to file the defence's say on an application submitted by Satyaki Savarkar, which stated that "Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse; however, no social boycott was imposed on Godse's family after the assassination."
Advocate Pawar argued that a close reading of the application indicates the complainant is indirectly justifying Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.
He further submitted the content of the application is based entirely on historical events, and therefore, verification of those historical facts and records is necessary before submitting a detailed reply.
"We requested the court to grant the defence sufficient time to study the relevant historical documents and file a comprehensive written statement. The court has granted time to submit a detailed reply, and the matter is now posted for November 7," Pawar said.
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Thane court sentences man to life imprisonment for bludgeoning wife to death
Thane (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Thane district sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his wife, whom he attacked 22 times with a hammer in front of his children, based on the testimony of his 13-year-old daughter.
Principal district and sessions judge S B Agrawal found the accused, Vijay Mishra alias Samir Shaikh, guilty under sections 302 (murder) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The court sentenced him to life imprisonment and a three-year term to be served concurrently. It also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh for the murder charge and an additional Rs 10,000 for injuring his minor daughter and mother-in-law, who had tried to intervene during the fatal attack.
Additional public prosecutor Rashmi Kshirsagar informed that 11 prosecution witnesses, including the accused's daughter, were examined during the trial.
According to the prosecution, the victim, Zarin Israr Ansari, had been living with her mother, along with her daughter and a six-year-old son, for two years following prolonged domestic violence and disputes.
The accused, who had converted to Islam to marry Zarin 14 years prior, harboured deep resentment over her living separately and suspected her character.
On the afternoon of September 28, 2023, the accused stormed into his mother-in-law's residence in Mumbra with a hammer concealed in a bag, cornered his wife on the mezzanine floor, dragged her down, locked the main door, and repeatedly bludgeoned her.
The court defended the testimony of the victim's 13-year-old daughter, who was an eyewitness and had sustained injuries herself, noting that minor inconsistencies do not degrade the core truth of an innocent child's account:
"...they are not of any significant consequence since it is not expected from such a witness of 10 years of age to have a total photographic memory to be reproduced before the court. But as far as the incident is concerned, evidence of this witness is totally free from any reasonable doubt."
The prosecution had also stated that the accused had locked his family inside and threatened a neighbour by brandishing a "bomb-like thing" and declaring he would blow up the building if anyone intervened.
The victim's brother eventually broke down the latched door, disarmed the accused, and pinned him down until the police arrived.
The post-mortem report revealed that the victim had suffered 22 brutal injuries and had died due to severe head wounds.
