Thane, February 21 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi presented Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal as his new surety in the 2014 defamation case filed by an RSS activist, completing the legal formalities necessitated by the death of former Union minister Shivraj Patil.
The Bhiwandi magistrate's court in neighboring Thane district had asked the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha to furnish a new surety as Patil, who had stood as guarantor for him, passed away on December 12 last year.
Patil had stood as a guarantor for Gandhi in 2016 when the court granted him bail when he appeared before it.
The judge had specifically instructed Gandhi to be present in person to complete the formalities related to the new surety.
The Congress leader, along with Sapkal, appeared before the magistrate around 11 am.
With his advocates Narayan Iyer and Kushal Mor, he presented Sapkal as his new surety.
The court verified the Maharashtra Congress leader's details as he signed the surety bond to complete the process.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist Rajesh Kunte filed a complaint in the court alleging that the Congress leader, while speaking at a rally at Sonale village during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, stated that the Sangh was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
The false remark maligned the RSS's image, Kunte claimed in his complaint under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.