Rahul Gandhi appears in Bhiwandi court in RSS defamation case

Thane, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday reached a magistrate's court in Maharashtra's Thane district to furnish a new surety in the defamation case filed against him by an RSS activist.

The Bhiwandi magistrate's court had asked Gandhi to present a fresh surety in the case, as former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who had stood as his surety or guarantor, passed away in December last year.

He will present Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Harshwardhan Sapkal as the new surety in the case.


The judge specifically instructed Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to be present in person to complete the formalities related to the new surety, his lawyer had earlier said.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist Rajesh Kunte filed a complaint in the court alleging that the Congress leader, while speaking at a rally at Sonale village during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, stated that the Sangh was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

The false remark maligned the RSS's image, claimed Kunte in his complaint under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Kunte's cross-examination and re-examination during the trial are over.

The next hearing was initially scheduled for December 20, 2025, but was postponed to January 17 due to the need for a new surety. On January 17, the magistrate further adjourned the matter to February 21.