Thane: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday appeared before a magistrate’s court in Maharashtra’s Thane district to furnish a fresh surety in a defamation case filed against him by an RSS worker.
The Bhiwandi magistrate’s court had directed Gandhi to submit a new surety after former Union home minister Shivraj Patil, who had stood as his guarantor, passed away in December last year.
Gandhi is expected to present Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshvardhan Sapkal as the new surety in the case. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha had been specifically instructed by the judge to remain personally present to complete the formalities related to the fresh surety, his counsel had earlier said.
The complaint was filed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker Rajesh Kunte, who alleged that Gandhi had stated during a 2014 Lok Sabha election rally in Sonale village that the RSS was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Kunte, invoking Section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code, claimed that the remark had tarnished the image of the RSS.
During the trial, Kunte’s cross-examination and re-examination have been completed. The next hearing, earlier scheduled for December 20, 2025, was deferred due to the need for a new surety and later adjourned to February 21.
