Satyaki Savarkar testified in a Pune court that his granduncle, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, filed five mercy petitions while imprisoned in the Cellular Jail. He clarified that Savarkar regarded the cow as a 'useful animal' rather than a deity, reflecting a rationalist perspective. This testimony arose during a criminal defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who allegedly claimed Savarkar expressed a desire to harm Muslims. Satyaki defended Savarkar's appeal for Indian recruitment into the British Army during World War II as a strategic effort to ensure military training for Indians post-independence. The ongoing legal battle includes Satyaki's claims of perjury against Gandhi for misleading the court regarding evidence from a speech in London. The court is examining the historical legacy of Savarkar as it deliberates on the defamation charges, with Satyaki's cross-examination set to resume on June 1.