Rahul Gandhi defamation case: Bombay HC quashes magistrate order allowing fresh documents

Rahul Gandhi. File Photo

The Bombay High Court reportedly quashed a magistrate's order permitting RSS worker Rajesh Kunte to submit fresh and additional documents in a pending criminal defamation complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the PTI reported on Friday.

Rajesh Kunte had lodged a defamation complaint in 2014 before the Bhiwandi magistrate's court in Thane district, claiming that the Congress leader had made false and defamatory statements during a speech that the right-wing outfit was responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

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In 2023, the magistrate court in Bhiwandi permitted Kunte to submit the transcript of Gandhi's speech, which was part of a petition the Congress leader had filed in 2014 seeking the quashing of summons issued to him.

As per a PTI report, Kunte contended that by including the transcript as part of his petition, Gandhi had "unambiguously owned up to the speech and its contents.".

Rahul Gandhi had challenged the magistrate's order before the high court.

On Friday, a single bench of Justice Prithviraj Chavan allowed Rahul Gandhi's petition.

"The petition is allowed. The impugned order and consequent exhibition of documents are quashed and set aside. The magistrate court is directed to proceed with the trial regarding the exhibit in accordance with the observations made in the order," the court said, reported PTI.

According to the PTI report, Justice Prithviraj Chavan also directed the magistrate to deal with the trial expeditiously and asked both parties to cooperate.

The documents submitted by Kunte reportedly include parts of a petition filed by Rahul Gandhi in 2014, challenging the summons issued to him by the Bhiwandi court then.

It includes a copy of the transcript of the alleged speech made by Rahul Gandhi from a CD containing the purported live telecast of the programme, which was annexed as an exhibit to the petition, reported PTI.

As per the PTI report, Rahul Gandhi, in his plea, claimed that in 2021, another bench of the high court had disallowed Kunte from submitting any fresh documents in the case.

However, despite this, the magistrate reportedly permitted the submission of the documents as part of the complaint.

According to the news article, the Congress leader claimed that the magistrate's order allowing Kunte to submit fresh documents at this stage was "completely illegal and prejudicial."

(With inputs from PTI)