Rahul Gandhi stands by remarks against RSS, tells Supreme Court ready to face trial [Read order]

The drama surrounding the Rahul Gandhi defamation matter just got thicker, with the political scion refusing to withdraw his words against the RSS. This comes barely a week after he had told the Supreme Court that he had never intended to implicate the RSS as a whole for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi..The matter came up today before a bench of Dipak Misra and Rohinton Nariman JJ. The apex court was hearing a petition to quash defamation proceedings against Gandhi before a trial Court in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra. The defamation proceedings were initiated following a speech made by Gandhi where he held the RSS responsible for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi..Senior counsel UR Lalit appeared for the respondent, RSS activist Rajesh Mahadev Kunte who had filed the complaint alleging defamation..At the last hearing, with senior counsel Kapil Sibal representing Gandhi, Sibal had submitted that Gandhi had never actually denounced the RSS, but merely pointed out the act of some RSS members, and that Gandhi’s words had been twisted by the media..Following this submission Lalit had requested that the petitioner make certain statements to his satisfaction, in order to prove his bona fide..“If he does not, it is just a statement for the convenience of the present litigation”, he said, adding that the RSS had become a political tool. Whenever the elections draw near or when minority votes are sought, he alleged, the RSS is picked on..Hence, it was expected that Gandhi would withdraw his statement in today’s hearing..Sibal, though, had other instructions..In a dramatic departure from his statements made in the last hearing, Sibal emphasised,.“I stand by my words; I have always stood by them and I will repeat them… people from RSS killed Mahatma Gandhi.“.With this assertion, both parties unanimously agreed that the matter must go to trial..When the Court seemed inclined to dismiss the petition, as a last minute face-saving measure, the petitioners withdrew their case. The Bench also refused to grant Rahul Gandhi an exemption from making a personal appearance before the trial court..Image taken from here..Read today’s order below.