Bail to Rahul Gandhi in RSS Defamation Case

In a relief to Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, a court in Mumbai's Bhiwandi on Wednesday granted bail in a defamation case filed by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary for holding the organisation's members responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination by Rahul Gandhi in a speech in 2014.  The next hearing is scheduled for hearing on January 30, 2017. The case against Rahul was filed by a local RSS functionary, Rajesh Kunte, over the former's speech in Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014 in the run up to Lok Sabha polls. During the rally, Rahul had allegedly claimed, “The RSS people had killed Gandhi.” The complainant’s counsel Nandu Phadke told the court that if Rahul was ready to accept his “mistake” then he was willing to withdraw the case against him as the complainant (Kunte) believed in “forgive and forget.” Also, Rahul should give an undertaking that he will not repeat it in the future, Phadke demanded. When Rahul’s lawyer Ashok Mundargi requested for a date and sought the court to exempt him from personal appearance, owing to his political commitments, the complainant’s lawyer said Rahul may be treated as an “ordinary citizen”.