Gauri Lankesh Killing: Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury Plead Not Guilty In Defamation Case Filed By RSS Worker, Granted Permanent Exemption

Ex-Congress President Rahul Gandhi appeared before a Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Sewree, Mumbai today and pleaded not guilty in a defamation case filed by Advocate Dhrutiman Joshi, an RSS Swayamsevak. Apart from Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury is also accused of defaming the RSS for linking journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder with the organisation.

Both Gandhi and Yechury were granted bail by Metropolitan Magistrate PI Mokashi and permanent exemption were sought by Yechuri from appearance in the case. Former Member of Parliament Eknath Gaikwad and CPI(M) worker Shantaram Mankaumare gave the sureties for Gandhi and Yechury respectively.

According to the complainant, Gandhi, who resigned from his post as President of the Congress party yesterday, had told a reporter outside parliament-

"Anybody who speaks against the ideology of the BJP, against the ideology of the RSS is pressured, beaten, attacked and even killed."

It was alleged that Yechury had said that RSS ideology and its men had killed Gauri Lankesh.

Joshi filed the complaint under Section 500 (punishment for defamation) of IPC in 2017 in Byculla police station.

Previously, Metropolitan Magistrate PK Deshpande had concluded after reading the statement placed before him that "Gandhi and Yechury had no right to make such statements without verifying the facts.". He found sufficient ground proceed against them under Section 500.

On September 5, 2017, unidentified men shot Gauri to death at her house in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Special Investigation Team constituted by the Karnataka government filed its first chargesheet in May against KT Naveen Kumar. He told the police that Lankesh was killed for her anti-Hindu views. Thereafter, a supplementary chargesheet was filed and now a total of 18 people are accused in the senior journalist's killing.

Amol Kale, Sujith Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degwekar are said to be masterminds of the killing and Parashuram Waghmare, the shooter. The said gang is also suspected to be responsible for the killing of three others, Sahitya Akademi awardee M M Kalburgi, rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, and CPI member Govind Pansare.