A week after claiming in the Supreme Court that he never blamed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), as an institution, for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today told the apex court that he stands by his remarks and is ready to face trial for it.
Gandhi withdrew his appeal from the apex court for quashing of the defamation case against him by an RSS activist.
A bench led by Justice Dipak Misra of the SC dismissed the petition as withdrawn after Rahul’s counsel Kapil Sibal said that his client would prefer to stand trial before a magistrate in the criminal defamation case which was filed in the response of his remarks against saffron organisation.
Sibal conveyed to the court that his client stood by every word he had said in an election speech in Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi in March 2014.
“He will not withdraw his words and is ready to face trial,” Sibbal told the SC bench.
Sibal wanted the SC to record in its order that Rahul wants to face trial as he stood by every word he said against RSS. The SC refused.
While addressing an election rally Bhiwandi, Rahul had said, "RSS people killed Gandhiji, and today their people talk of him. They are opposed to Sardar Patel and Gandhiji."
Rahul will now face trial in a Bhiwandi court in Maharashtra where the defamation case is filed. The SC refused to grant Amethi MP Gandhi exemption from personal appearance before the court in the impending trial.
Last week, Rahul had told the Supreme Court that he never blamed the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but had only said that a "few individuals in the organisation" were responsible for it.
While refusing to apologise, Gandhi said in court that his comments were misinterpreted by the RSS worker who filed the defamation case against him.
"I never made the statement that RSS killed Mahatma Gandhi but persons associated with the RSS killed him," Rahul had told the Court through his counsel Kapil Sibal.
