RSS defamation case: Rahul Gandhi to appear before Bhiwandi court

THANE(MAHARASHTRA): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will appear before a magistrate's court at Bhiwandi in the district on Saturday in connection with a defamation case filed against him by an RSS activist, his lawyer said.

"Gandhi has been asked to furnish a fresh surety as (Congress leader) Shivraj Patil Chakurkar, his current surety, died on December 12," his lawyer advocate Narayan Iyer told PTI.

Shivraj Patil, a former Union minister, had stood a surety or guarantor when Rahul Gandhi was granted bail 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, the lawyer 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, said Kunte in his complaint under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.

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