Thane, February 21 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived at a magistrate's court in Thane district, Maharashtra, on Saturday to provide a new surety in the defamation case filed against him by an RSS activist.
The Bhiwandi magistrate's court had asked Gandhi to provide a fresh surety in the case, as former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who had acted as his guarantor, passed away in December last year.
He will nominate Harshwardhan Sapkal, the chief of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, as the new surety in the case.
The judge specifically instructed Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to be present in person to complete the formalities related to the new surety, his lawyer had said earlier.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist Rajesh Kunte filed a complaint in the court alleging that Gandhi, while speaking at a rally in Sonale village during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, stated that the Sangh was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Kunte claimed in his complaint under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code that Gandhi's remark had tarnished the image of the RSS.
Kunte's cross-examination and re-examination during the trial have been completed.
The next hearing was initially scheduled for December 20, 2025, but was postponed to January 17 due to the need for a new surety. On January 17, the magistrate further adjourned the matter to February 21.