A court in Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday granted a permanent exemption to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from appearing before it in a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Sawyamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary.
Bhiwandi First Class Judicial Magistrate C Wadikar who heard Gandhi's application filed through his counsel Narayan Iyer observed that the Congress leader deserves a permanent exemption.
The magistrate also set June 3 for recording evidence in the defamation suit filed by local RSS worker Rajesh Kunte.
Kunte had in 2014 filed a private complaint before the Bhiwandi magistrate's court after watching Gandhi's speech where he allegedly accused the RSS of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. Kunte claimed this statement slandered the reputation of the RSS.
Gandhi had appeared before the court in June 2018 and pleaded not guilty.
“Accused Rahul Rajiv Gandhi is hereby exempted from appearance in the court till the further order passed by the court subject to following conditions,” reads the order, a copy of which was accessed by PTI.
“Accused to undertake that his duly designated advocate punctually and regularly appears before court on each and every scheduled date and conduct the trial in absence of accused,” says one of the conditions. “Accused to remain present in court as and when directed,” reads another.
Rahul Gandhi, who was recently disqualified as an MP after his conviction by a Surat court in a defamation case, had last year sought exemption from appearance in the Bhiwandi court on the grounds that he was a Delhi resident and a Lok Sabha member who had to visit his constituency (Wayanad), attend party work and travel a lot. Gandhi had requested that whenever required, he be allowed to be represented by his lawyer in the hearing.
Kunte recently argued that since Gandhi is no longer a parliamentarian, he should not be given an exemption in the matter.
The Surat court had on March 23 sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his “why all thieves have Modi surname” remarks. The court also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court. The next day, he was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Bullseye! India's Homegrown Glide Bomb 'Gaurav' Hits Target 100 Km Away
"Freedom Is Our Shield": Rahul Gandhi's Independence Day Message To Nation "Attempt To Save Accused Instead Of...": Rahul Gandhi On Doctor Rape-Murder BJP Slams Rahul Gandhi For "Seeding Doubt" About Indian Stock Markets 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Tear Gas Fired After Kolkata Protest Against Doctor's Rape-Murder Turns Violent "Pivotal Moment": Key Doctor Body Resumes Strike 2 Days After Calling It Off Monkeypox Virus Killed 548 People In This Nation Since Start Of 2024 Tiger Attacks 5 After Escaping From Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve This US City Has Been Declared America's Least Desirable, Survey Finds Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.