Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was on Thursday granted relief by a local court in a criminal defamation case filed against him by an RSS volunteer. Gandhi appeared before a Guwahati court and was allowed to go after furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000
“We had made a bail application for him but as Rahul Gandhi appeared in person the court allowed him to go on PR bond. The next date of hearing has been fixed for November 5”, Rahul’s lawyer Anshuman Bora said.
Gandhi has to be present personally again on November 5 when the court will explain to him his offence.
Complainant ‘Bibhag Chanchalak’ of RSS, Anjan Bora’s, counsel Bijon Mahajan told journalists, “We did not oppose the bail application as per the complainant’s advice”.
He (Rahul Gandhi) has appeared before the court and has been allowed to go on a bond of Rs 50,000: Bijan Mahajan, RSS lawyer pic.twitter.com/DLfyOQt78B
— ANI (@ANI_news) September 29, 2016
The complainant had filed a criminal defamation case against Gandhi that he had brought down the image of the RSS by saying he was not allowed by RSS members to enter Barpeta Satra, a 16th century Vaishnavite monastery, in Assam on December 12, 2015.
Section 500 of the IPC contains quantum of punishment which may extend to two years or with fine or with both.
Earlier in the day, Rahul blamed RSS for trying to divide the nation and vowed to fight against its ideology.
“The (RSS) want to divide the country and my fight is against them. I am not scared and my fight against poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment will continue,” Gandhi said after appearing at the the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Kamrup.
