Rahul Gandhi to appear in Bhiwandi court over RSS defamation case

Bhiwandi (Maharashtra) [India], Jan. 30 (ANI): Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is set to appear at Bhiwandi court today in connection with criminal defamation case filed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over his remark regarding Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. Rahul was granted bail on the basis of personal surety by Maharashtra's Bhiwandi court in November last year. A local RSS functionary, Rajesh Kunte, had filed the case against Gandhi for claiming at an election rally on March 6, 2014 that the right wing organisation had killed Mahatma Gandhi. Though the Supreme Court has stayed the proceedings against him, Gandhi appeared before magistrate D.P. Kale in Bhiwandi on July 8 last year. Gandhi had in September withdrawn his petition filed in the apex court, challenging the case and said he would face the trial. He expressed his readiness to face the trial after the top court refused to interfere with the criminal proceedings pending against him before the trial court. He moved the apex court challenging the order of the Bombay high court refusing to quash the defamation case and summons issued to him by the trial court. After the withdrawal of the case, the court had summoned Gandhi for further proceedings. (ANI)