Defamation case: Rahul Gandhi appears before Guwahati court, allowed to go on Rs.50 K bond

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today appeared before the Guwahati court in connection with a criminal defamation case filed by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer and was allowed to go after putting up a bond of Rs 50,000.

"He (Rahul Gandhi) has appeared before the court and has been allowed to go on a bond of Rs 50, 000," said Bijan Mahajan, RSS lawyer.

Earlier in the morning, Rahul went all guns blazing at the RSS for their 'divisive' ideology, saying he will not be deterred and will continue to fight for the poor, unemployed youth, for the unity and harmony of this country, no matter how many cases are filed against him.

RSS volunteer Anjan Bora filed a criminal case against the Congress vice-president for making false statements to tarnish the image of RSS. Gandhi had said that women were made to sit at the entrance of a satra (a monastery) so that he would not be able to enter.

"I would like to thank the people of Guwahati for the love and affection they have showed. I am against the ideology of the RSS and all such other organisation, which is there to divide India and are harmful for this country. Regardless of which religion they come from, I am for the unity of this country and for the love and affection between the people," Gandhi said.

"These cases are being put against me because I am fighting for the poor people of this country because I am fighting for the rights of the farmers, unemployed youth who have aspirations, who have dreams and who are being denied those aspirations because our government is running in the interest of 12 or 15 people. The idea is to make sure that I do not fight for the young, unemployed youth," he added.

The Congress vice-president is facing another criminal defamation charge because of the speech he made in Bhiwandi.

The RSS, the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi for his speech at a rally in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, in 2014.

In the speech he had said that "people belonging to the RSS had killed Gandhiji and now they speak about Gandhi".

The case started in a court in Bhiwandi and then went to the Mumbai High Court before finally coming to the Supreme Court.