Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has pleaded not guilty while appearing for the hearing of a criminal defamation case that was filed against him for linking RSS with Gauri Lankesh’s murder. He has been released on Rs 15000 surety amount provided by ex-MP Eknath Gaikwad.
Defamation case filed against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly linking Gauri Lankesh’s murder with “BJP-RSS ideology”: Rahul Gandhi pleads not guilty. He has been released on Rs 15000 surety amount. Ex MP Eknath Gaikwad has given surety for Rahul Gandhi. pic.twitter.com/QVGlntFi2L
— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2019
Addressing the media after the court hearing, Gandhi said that this is a fight for ideology and he is standing with the poor and farmers. “Attacks are happening, I am having fun,” he said.
#WATCH Rahul Gandhi after appearing in a Mumbai court in a defamation case: I didn’t say anything in court,I had to appear. It’s a fight of ideology,I’m standing with the poor & farmers.’Aakraman ho raha hai, mazaa aa raha hai’. I’ll fight 10 times harder than I did in last 5 yrs pic.twitter.com/AoeQJfdTBU
— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2019
As the hearing of the case was going, Congress supporters had also gathered outside the court with placards and raising slogans.
#WATCH Congress supporters gather outside Mumbai court where Rahul Gandhi has arrived in connection with a defamation case filed against him in 2017 for allegedly linking Gauri Lankesh’s murder with “BJP-RSS ideology”. He was accompanied by Mallikarjun Kharge & Milind Deora. pic.twitter.com/FtF5doIcgD
— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2019
The defamation case was filed by a Mumbai-based lawyer Dhrutiman Joshi seeking damages of Re.1 for their allegation that RSS was behind Gauri Lankesh’s murder. The complaint was filed against both Rahul Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury.
In the complainant, Dhrutiman Joshi stated that the former Congress President, within 24-hours of the murder of the journalist, criticised the RSS and alleged that “anybody who speaks against the ideology of the BJP, against the ideology of the RSS is pressured, beaten, attacked and even killed.”
After having resigned as the Congress President, Rahul Gandhi would be attending a series of defamation cases filed against him. Several defamation cases have been filed against for making frivolous statements made in the past.
Previously Rahul Gandhi had also blamed the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. He however made U-Turn saying that his comments were misinterpreted by the RSS worker who filed the initial complaint against him. Rahul Gandhi had yet again managed to escape another defamation case by deleting a video just minutes after uploading it on Twitter and YouTube.
