Rahul Gandhi Appears Before Bhiwandi Court in RSS Defamation Case
The judge specifically instructed Gandhi to be present in person to complete the formalities related to the new surety, his lawyer had earlier said
Mumbai: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared in a Bhiwandi court Saturday for a 2014 defamation case involving the RSS. Gandhi named Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal as his new guarantor, replacing the late former Union minister Shivraj Patil. The visit was met with hostility as BJP supporters staged a black-flag protest at the Mulund toll naka, chanting slogans against him.
The defamation case was initiated by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte, who claimed that during an election rally in 2014, Mr. Gandhi alleged that the RSS was responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. According to the complainant, the Congress leader is liable for defamation under section 500 of the Indian Penal Code as his false remark maligned the image of the RSS.
Mr. Gandhi’s lawyer Narayan Iyer said, “The original surety, former Home Minister Shivraj Patil, passed away. Which is why we had to provide a fresh surety.”
Mr. Kunte’s cross-examination and re-examination during the trial are over. Advocate Iyer confirmed that the cross-examination of the investigating officer (IO) would resume now that the bail formalities are complete.
“We have full faith in the Indian judiciary and are confident that justice will prevail. While Gandhi has been granted permanent exemption from personal appearance in future hearings, we will present our defense witnesses at the appropriate time,” the lawyer said.
Mr. Gandhi landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai in the morning and travelled by road to Bhiwandi in neighbouring Thane district to appear before the court. En route, he faced protests by a group of BJP workers. However, the police had made elaborate security arrangements for Mr. Gandhi’s visit to prevent any confrontation between BJP and Congress party workers.
A BJP supporter participating in the protest said the demonstration was held because the Congress leader “tarnishes India’s image for his political motives”. He referred to what he described as a “shirtless protest” by Congress workers at an AI summit in Delhi, saying it “maligned India’s image in front of foreign delegates”.
However, Mr Sapkal said that Mr Gandhi was being targeted because he had exposed the “true face” of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He is our leader, and he is here to follow the legal process. It is clear that Rahul Gandhi is being targeted because he revealed the truth about the BJP and PM Modi,” the state Congress president said.
Another Congress leader, Sachin Sawant alleged that the BJP protest was an attempt to divert attention from key national issues. He accused the ruling party of resorting to theatrics, as it had no answers for the public. He also alleged that the BJP had compromised the future of farmers in Maharashtra and the country by placing their interests at stake in the trade deal with the US.
