Rahul Gandhi to appear in Mumbai court today

Mumbai: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear before a magistrate court in Mazagaon in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a city-based lawyer on Thursday.

The lawyer, an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, filed the defamation case against Mr Gandhi and Communist party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury for linking journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh’s murder with ‘BJP-RSS ideology’. The court issued summons against Rahul Gandhi and Yechury but dismissed the complaint against Sonia Gandhi.

Advocate Dhrutiman Joshi has sought issuance of summons and process for the criminal defamation case against the Gandhis and Mr Yechury under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for defaming the RSS and the BJP). According to him, the statements were baseless and no investigating agency had hinted that the RSS is behind her murder.

After Lankesh’s murder Rahul Gandhi had said, “Anybody who speaks against the ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party, against the ideology of the RSS is pressured, beaten, attacked and even killed.” According to complainant Mr Yechury was heard saying, “The RSS ideology and the RSS men killed the said journalist.”

The court had dismissed the complaint against Sonia Gandhi and the CPI (M), saying a party cannot be held liable for comments made by individuals. Complainant had sought action against Ms Gandhi also saying though she had not made such statement however, being the then president of the party she didn’t distanced from the statement made by the Congress chief.

Rahul Gandhi is already facing another defamation case at Bhiwandi in neighbouring Thane district, filed by a local RSS worker, for allegedly blaming the Sangh for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.