The Thane sessions court on April 1 issued summons to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Communist Party of India general secretary Sitaram Yechury for linking Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh . It directed them to be present in court on April 30.
It is alleged that Mr. Gandhi made a statement, while speaking to a journalist outside Parliament hours after the death of Lankesh. The statement was, “Anybody who speaks against the ideology of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), against the ideology of RSS is pressured, beaten, attacked and even killed.”
Mr. Yechury also made a statement that it was the RSS ideology and RSS men who killed Lankesh.
The Thane court heard a civil defamation suit filed by RSS member Vivek Champanerkar through his advocate Aditya Mishra. He contended that RSS is a social organisation and is being defamed by these comments.
Talking to The Hindu , Mr. Mishra said, “Mr. Champanerkar is not an extortionist, therefore he is seeking damages and compensation of ₹1.”
He also said, “We are seeking an injunction (stay) that both the leaders accused in this case and their party workers be restrained from talking against RSS whenever Gauri Lankesh murder comes up.”
He also said there are no grounds for linking the RSS to the murder as no judicial inquiry or investigation has connected the two.
On April 1, judge S.M. Bhatia issued summons to Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Yechury.
On February 22, the Mazgaon magistrate had also issued notices to Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Yechury for making allegations against RSS over the Lankesh murder.
Advocate Dhrutiman Joshi, a grassroots worker of the RSS, had filed a criminal defamation suit regarding the same statement made by both the leaders, and will be heard on April 5.
