Rahul Gandhi pleads not guilty, gets bail

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Friday granted bail by a court here in a defamation case filed by an Ahmedabad BJP corporator for calling Amit Shah a murder accused at an election rally in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, six months ago. Gandhi pleaded not guilty and was granted bail.

The former Congress president later tweeted, “Yet another politically motivated case filed against me. Yesterday, it was Surat, today it is Ahmedabad. It was good to connect with members of my Congress family here in the city and to have a meal with them at a local restaurant. I thank them all.” He also shared a video clip of him sitting at a restaurant in Ahmedabad with congress workers.

Rahul Gandhi was granted bail on bond of Rs 10,000 by the court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate RB Etaliya. Thereafter, Gandhi’s lawyer moved and application for exemption from personal presence at hearings. The next hearing for the case has been set at December 7, when the court will also take up the application for his personal exemption.

The case filed by BJP corporator of Ahmedabad, Krishnavadan Brahmbhatt for calling Amit Shah a murder accused takes the plea that it was slanderous as Shah had already been acquitted in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged fake encounter case in 2015.

Rahul also had a meeting with Hardik Patel, the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader who opted to join the Congress earlier this year. Patel has been charged with sedition and the ruling BJP in Gujarat had burnt midnight oil to ensure that he does not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Hardik was barred from contesting the elections under a High Court order over his conviction in a 2015 rioting case.

Earlier, on his arrival at the Ahmedabad airport, he went straight to the circuit house for a meeting with NSUI and congress leaders. EOM