Mumbai: RaGa gets bail in defamation case from Sewri court

Mumbai: After pleading not guilty in a defamation case, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury were granted bail by a Mumbai Court.

The duo was summoned by a Mumbai court after a defamation case was filed against them by a RSS activist and advocate, Dhrutiman Josh, who alleged that a defamation proceeding should be initiated against them for purportedly linking the Sangh to the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh.

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The two leaders were granted bail on a surety amount of Rs 15,000 each and were also permanently exempted from appearing before the court during the case hearings.

The complaint was read out to Gandhi and Yechury by the court and were asked if they were pleading guilty or not to the charges levelled against them, to which the two pleaded not guilty. Now the two will face trial and the court would record their statements and that of the complainant and other witnesses. Gandhi and Yechury then signed necessary documents and left the court premises.

The former Congress Member of Parliament Eknath Gaikwad stood as surety for Gandhi.

it is to be mentioned that the female jounalist, Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her house in Bengaluru in September 2017, allegedly by the members of a right-wing extremist group.

As per Joshi, within 24 hours of her death, Rahul Gandhi told media that “anybody who speaks against the ideology of the BJP, against the ideology of the RSS, is pressured, beaten, attacked and even killed.”

In his complaint Joshi also alleged that Yechury too stated that it was the RSS’ ideology and Sangh people were behind the killing of Gauri, who was known for her blunt criticism of right-wing politics.

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