A court in Maharashtra granted permanent exemption to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from appearing in the criminal defamation proceedings initiated against him on a complaint filed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Rajesh Kunte.
The petition was heard in a court at Bhiwandi, near Thane.
The defamation case was initiated by the RSS leader after Gandhi said in one of his speeches that the RSS was responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s death.
Proceedings in the case were ongoing before the judicial magistrate of Bhiwandi, Maharashtra since 2014.
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Rahul had appeared before the magistrate in June 2018 and pleaded not guilty, after which the trial commenced.
In 2022, Gandhi moved an application seeking permanent exemption from appearing in court on the ground that he was a Member of Parliament, and had to visit his constituency and attend to party work.
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After hearing all parties at length, judicial magistrate L C Wadikar allowed the permanent exemption application on Saturday.
The judge will now commence with recording of evidence from June 3, 2023, according to reports.