Never accused RSS directly as an institution for Gandhi: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that he had never said RSS as an institution assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, and had only put the blame on the Hindu organisation’s "destructive philosophy" and "individuals associated with it". This prompted the top court to nudge the complainant, one Mahadev Kunte who claimed to be an RSS activist, to withdraw the defamation case.

"I never accused RSS directly as an institution. I never blamed RSS as an institution for killing Gandhi," senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, a former Union minister, said while reading out from an affidavit filed in the Mumbai High Court that had refused to quash the charge against him. Sibal, however, did not deny that Gandhi had said "the destructive philosophy of the RSS… and individuals associated with it" had killed Gandhi.

The bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and R F Nariman said the complaint of defamation against the RSS as an institution abates in that case.

"The RSS grievance (of defamation) then abates," Justice Misra told senior advocate U R Lalit, appearing for Kunte, nudging him to consider withdrawing the case.

"The RSS then does not become the body affected." Lalit agreed to this provided the court recorded Rahul Gandhi’s statement that he had never blamed RSS as an institution. Sibal agreed to the court suggestion to give a quietus to the issue. Lalit, however, was not so equivocal about a quietus to the issue and sought time to get instructions from his client.