Court | Thane/Hyderabad, April 15 (Maxim News): A court in the Thane district of Maharashtra today granted a permanent exemption to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from appearing before it in a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary.
Bhiwandi First Class Judicial Magistrate C.Wadikar who heard Gandhi’s application filed through his counsel Narayan Iyer observed that the Congress leader deserves a permanent exemption. The magistrate also set June 3 for recording evidence in the defamation suit filed by local RSs worker Rajesh Kunte.
Kunte in 2014 filed a private complaint before the Bhiwandi magistrate’s court after watching Gandhi’s speech where he allegedly accused the RSS of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. Kunte claimed this statement slandered the reputation of the RSS. Gandhi appeared before the court in June 2018 and pleaded not guilty.
Accused Rahul Gandhi is hereby exempted from appearance in the court till further order is passed by the court subject to the following conditions.
Accused to undertake that has duly designated advocate punctually and regularly appears before court on each and every scheduled date and conduct the trial in absence of the accused, says one of the conditions. “Accused to remain present in court as and when directed, reads another.
Rahul Gandhi, who was recently disqualified as an MP after his conviction by a Surat Court in a defamation case, had last year sought exemption from appearance in the Bhiwandi court on the grounds that he was a Delhi resident and Lok Sabha member who had to visit his constituency (Wayanad), attend party work and travel a lot. Gandhi had requested whenever required, he is allowed to be represented by his lawyer in the hearing.
Kunte argued that since Rahul Gandhi is no longer a parliamentarian, he should not be given an exemption in the matter. (Maxim News)
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