Defamation trial against Rahul Gandhi to start from Feb 22: Bhiwandi court

Rahul Gandhi. File Pic

A Bhiwandi court on Thursday said the hearing of a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi filed by a local RSS worker will begin from February 22. Earlier, the trial was to commence from February 10.

Advocates Prabodh Jaywant and Ganesh Dhargalkar, representing complainant Rajesh Kunte, told the court on Thursday that their writ petition challenging some orders of lower courts in the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, so the hearing be deferred till it is decided. Joint Civil Judge and Magistrate J V Paliwal, however, said as there was no stay on the proceedings, the hearing can start from February 22. The complainant's evidence will be recorded from the next date, the judge said.

Kunte, a local worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, filed the case against Rahul Gandhi in 2014, stating that the Congress leader, at an election rally in Bhiwandi, accused the Sangh of being behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. He thus tarnished the organisation's image by making a false allegation, the complaint said. In 2018, the court framed charges against Rahul Gandhi who pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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