Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was on Wednesday granted bail by a local court in a defamation case filed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 2014.
During the Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Gandhi had made a speech in Bhiwandi, holding the RSS responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. He had said, “RSS people killed Gandhiji and today their people [BJP] talk of him ... They opposed Sardar Patel and Gandhiji.”
Mr. Gandhi’s lawyer told the court that a bail plea had been filed and the surety had given an undertaking on May 8 that he would appear when needed. The court granted Mr. Gandhi bail on a personal bond of Rs. 15,000. Former Union Minister Shivraj Patil stood as surety.
The counsel for the petitioner, a RSS worker Rajesh Kunte, said if the Congress leader was ready to accept the mistake they were ready to withdraw the case and had no objection to his bail, and said, ‘We believe in forgive and forget.’
Mr. Gandhi’s counsel sought exemption from his personal appearance as he had political commitments. The Magistrate court adjourned the matter to January 30.
Mr. Kunte had termed Mr. Gandhi’s comment ‘false, frivolous, baseless and wanton allegations, imputations against the RSS and its people with mala fide motive to harm the reputation of the RSS, its followers, people, swayamsevaks’.
Mr. Gandhi had moved the Supreme Court, which declined his plea to be exempted from personal appearance before the Bhiwandi court. The Congress leader had also told the apex court that he stood by ‘every word’ of what he had said and was ready to face trial.
