Rahul Gandhi refuses to apologise, court grants him bail in RSS defamation case

Addressing a rally in the run-up to the 2014 LS polls, Gandhi had claimed, 'The RSS people had killed Gandhi'

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was granted bail on Wednesday in a criminal defamation case filed against him for claiming that the Rashhtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Rahul refused to apologise for his remarks. He was granted bail by Bhiwandi court on personal surety given by former home minister Shivraj Patil.

The next date of hearing is January 30, 2017.

The case against Rahul was filed by a local RSS functionary, Rajesh Kunte, over the former's speech in Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014 in the run up to Lok Sabha polls.
 

Addressing a rally in the run-up to the 2014 general elections, Rahul had claimed, "The RSS people had killed Mahatma Gandhi."

He had, on September 1, preferred to face the trial as an accused in the defamation case for his remark against the RSS on the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, submitting before the Supreme Court that he stood by "every word" of his statement.

The Congress Vice-President expressed his readiness to face the trial after the apex court refused to interfere with the criminal proceedings pending against him before the trial court.

Rahul then withdrew the appeal filed by him against the Bombay High Court judgment refusing to quash the defamation case and summons issued to him by the trial court.

The apex court also declined Rahul's plea that he be exempted from personal appearance before the Bhiwandi court which had taken cognizance of the complaint of an RSS functionary by summoning him as an accused in the case.