Defamation case: Rahul Gandhi to appear in Bhiwandi court today

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will appear before a magistrate court in Bhiwandi on Wednesday over a criminal defamation case

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will appear before a magistrate court in Bhiwandi on Wednesday over a criminal defamation case.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at the domestic airport in Mumbai on Tuesday. (Pramod Thakur/HT)

Gandhi arrived in the city on Tuesday evening and is likely appear before the court in the morning.

A local Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary, Rajesh Kunte, filed the case against him for claiming, at an election rally on March 6, 2014, that the RSS had killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Though the Supreme Court has stayed the proceedings against him, Gandhi appeared before magistrate DP Kale in Bhiwandi on July 8 last year.

Gandhi had in September withdrawn his petition filed in the apex court, challenging the case and said he would face the trial. Gandhi had expressed his readiness to face the trial after the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the criminal proceedings pending against him before the trial court. He had moved the apex court challenging the order of the Bombay high court refusing to quash the defamation case and summons issued to him by the trial court

After the withdrawal of the case, the court had summoned Gandhi for further proceedings.

The Bhiwandi court premises will be fortified with tight security arrangements for Gandhi’s appearance in the court.

M Bagga, police inspector from Naupada police station in Bhiwandi said, “All necessary security arrangement has been made and the commissioner’s office is handling it.”

An officer from Bhiwandi control room said police personnel from Ulhasnagar and Bhiwandi will be deployed on the court premises.