October 17th 2023.
Congress leader and Member of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking quashing of criminal defamation proceedings against him. The proceedings were initiated for his statements connecting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh in 2017.
The case was filed by advocate Dhrituman Joshi in 2017, against Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and CPI Secretary Sitaram Yechuri. Joshi alleged that in an interview outside the Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said that people who spoke against the BJP-RSS ideology were pressured, beaten, attacked or killed. Joshi also claimed that Yechury had told the media that the RSS was responsible for the journalist's killing.
Gandhi then approached the Borivali Magistrate Court seeking dismissal of the case. However, the court refused. Following this, Gandhi approached the HC. He argued that the statements were made at separate places and hence a joint trial should not be conducted.
The magistrate court had dismissed the complaint against Sonia Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi's plea contended that the magistrate had violated the mandatory provision related to the joinder of charges which would vitiate the trial. He also sought quashing of the criminal proceedings initiated by the magistrate.
Pending hearing in his plea, Gandhi has sought interim stay on the proceedings that have been initiated against him. The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra AG to appear in Rahul Gandhi’s plea against the defamation case.
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