I’m ready to face trial over blaming RSS for killing Gandhi: Rahul

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi told the Supreme Court on Thursday he stood by his remarks that the RSS was responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and was ready to be tried for defamation.

The Congress leader, who withdrew his plea for quashing the case, will now be tried in a Bhiwandi court in Maharashtra, where a complaint was filed against him by a RSS activist in 2014.

“I stand by each and every word. I will never take my words back. I stood by it yesterday, I stand by it today and I will stand by it in future. I am ready to go to trial,” senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Gandhi, said.

Though Gandhi, who had challenged the complaint in May 2015, sought exemption from personal appearance, the bench of justices Dipak Misra and Rohinton Fali Nariman denied him the relief.

Even Nathuram Godse’s brother said RSS men killed Mahatma Gandhi, Sibal said. Godse, an advocate from Pune, shot Mahatma in New Delhi on January 30, 1948.

At a 2014 rally in Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi, the Congress leader said, “RSS men shot Gandhiji”, prompting RSS worker Rajesh Kunte to file a defamation complaint.

The 46-year-old Gandhi had told the SC last month that he didn’t blame the RSS as an institution for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, inviting criticism for his “U-turn”.

Less than 24 hours after the death of traffic head constable Vilas Shinde, who lost his life after being attacked by bikers, another constable was injured while trying to stop a biker at a nakabandi in Kurla on Thursday.

Police constable Devidas Nimbalkar, 45, sustained injuries on his left knee, the police said. A non-cognisable offence has been registered against Imtiaz Khan, a resident of Pydhonie. Nimbalkar is attached to the VB Nagar police station.

According to the police, the incident occurred at Sakinaka road, close to Jari-mari near Bail Bazaar in Kurla (West) around 1.50pm. “The incident occurred during routine patrolling. Nimbalkar signaled to the biker to stop because he was not wearing a helmet. But Khan tried to speed up instead,” said Bharat Bhoite, senior police inspector, VB Nagar police station.