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Bail to Rahul Gandhi in defamation case for linking Gauri Lankesh murder to RSS

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5 years ago

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Bail to Rahul Gandhi in defamation case for linking Gauri Lankesh murder to RSS

Former Congress president and MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi was today (Thursday, July 4) granted bail by a Mumbai court after he pleaded ‘not guilty’ in a defamation case filed by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist for allegedly linking the organisation to the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh in 2017, PTI reported.

Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPM) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who is also named in the defamation case and pleaded ‘not guilty’, was similarly granted bail.

The bail came on a surety of Rs15,000 given by former parliamentarian Eknath Gaikwad on behalf of Rahul Gandhi, according to ANI.

A day before, Rahul Gandhi formally quit as Congress president, releasing a letter to CWC to this effect. After getting the bail today, he said, “It is a battle of ideology. I stand with the poor, the farmers. Aakraman ho rahahai, maza aa rahahai (attack is taking place and I am enjoying it.”

Gandhi said he will now engage in the ‘ideological fight’ with BJP and RSS with 10 times more vigour than he did during the last five years. “I am with the poor, farmers and labourers. This fight (against BJP and RSS) will continue. And I will continue this fight with 10 times more vigour than I did during the last five years,” he said.

The complainant in the defamation case, RSS worker Dhrutiman Joshi,claimed that within 24 hours of Lankesh’smurder, Rahul Gandhi told reporters that “anybody who speaks against the ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and RSS is pressured, beaten, attacked and even killed.”

The petitioner alleged that CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury had also claimed the RSS ideology and workers were responsible for the murder. Yechury was also summoned by the court in February.

Today, the court read out to Rahul Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury the complaint and asked if they were pleading guilty or not guilty to the charges levelled against them.

The two leaders, who pleaded not guilty, will now face trial during which the court would record their statements and that of the complainant and other witnesses.

“Gandhi honoured the summons issued against him by this court. He has pleaded not guilty which means he will face trial. The court has posted the matter for further hearing on September 22,” Gandhi’s lawyer Kushal Mor said.

The court granted Gandhi and Yechury bail and also granted them permanent exemption from appearance before it during hearings in the case. Gandhi and Yechury then signed necessary documents and left the court premises.

Lankesh, a journalist who was known for her strident views against Hindutva politics, was killed at her home in Bengaluru by unidentified gunmen on September 5, 2017. Her murder sparked protests around the country and was seen by many as another in a spate of attacks that targeted activists and writers critical of Hindutva outfits.

In November, a Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka Police said Lankesh’s killers were linked to Hindutva organisation Sanatan Sanstha and her murder was part of an “organised crime”. The Indian Express reported the SIT chargesheet mentioned that the killers were trained by accused in Malegaon blast case. It needs to be clarified that Pragya Thakur’s name was not among those mentioned.

Rahul Gandhi has also been named in a defamation case filed by another RSS worker for claiming that the Sangh was responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. The Congress leader made the statement during a rally in Maharashtra before the 2014 General Elections. The case is pending at the magistrate’s court in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra. In 2015, Gandhi turned down the Supreme Court’s offer to express regret in order to get the defamation suit quashed. He stood by his remarks when he appeared before the Bhiwandi court in November 2016 but was granted bail.

Also Read: Am no longer Congress president, says Rahul, asks party to choose new chief

There are five different cases for which Rahul will have to appear in courts across the country to defend statements he made against BJP and RSS while campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls, said a media report.

Rahul has to appear next before a Patna court on July 6 in connection with a defamation case filed against him by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi for asking “why all thieves have Modi as their title (surnames)”.

Rahul will appear before an Ahmedabad court on July 9 for his “murder accused” reference to BJP chief Amit Shah, while on July 12, he will appear before another Gujarat court in criminal defamation suits filed by the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank and its chairman. On July 24, Rahul is scheduled to appear before a Surat court, for allegedly defaming the entire Modi community by saying all “Modis are thieves”.

Congress tweets ‘RSS for Dummies’

While Rahul Gandhi faces cases  for ‘defaming’ RSS, the Congress today posted a series of tweets, including a one-minute video, claiming the RSS has ‘consistently participated in anti-India activities’.

“Think you know what the RSS is all about, think again. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has consistently participated in anti-India activities, including pledging loyalty to the British, instigating violence & assassinating Mahatma Gandhi,” the tweet said.

The one-minute video titled RSS for Dummies claimed that RSS founder ‘KB Hedgewar ordered the Sangh not to participate in Satyagraha’. “Sangh leaders encouraged members to join the British civic guard… RSS’ non-participation in India’s Independence was complimented by their British masters… The Sangh opposed our national flag! Anti-national, much? Nathuram Godse shot and killed Gandhi,” the video claims.

In the video, Congress has also alleged that the RSS treats Manusmruti ‘bigger’ than the Constitution of India.

The post also comes a day after Gandhi stepped down as Congress president taking responsibility of the debacle his party faced in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. But beyond admitting his failure in leading the party, Gandhi, in his four-page letter, also blamed the RSS for succeeding in its mission to capture India’s institutions’.

Also Read: Home Minister Amit Shah summons Delhi Police chief over Hauz Qazi communal clash

“Our democracy has been fundamentally weakened… There is a real danger that from now on, the election will go from being a determinant of India’s future to a mere ritual… This capture of power will result in unimaginable levels of violence and pain for India. Farmers, unemployed youngsters, women, tribals, Dalits and minorities are going to suffer the most. The impact on our economy and the nation’s reputation is going to be devastating,” Gandhi said in his resignation letter.

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Ahead of Delhi Elections, Arvind Kejriwal launches Revdi Par Charcha campaign to seek feedback on freebies

Arvind Kejriwal said 65,000 meetings will be held across Delhi at micro levels by the AAP leaders and workers.

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13 mins ago

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November 22, 2024

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Ahead of Delhi Elections, Arvind Kejriwal launches Revdi Par Charcha campaign to seek feedback on freebies

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday launched a campaign with a tagline Revdi Par Charcha to seek public feedback on freebies. The campaign comes ahead of the assembly elections, which is scheduled to be held in February.

Former Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal launched the campaign with his colleagues at the party office, saying while the opposition calls freebies as revdi, the party calls it services. This campaign will start on November 25 and will continue for 15 days until December 10, discussing the issues with common man.

Notably, the opposition has been targeting the AAP for providing free electricity, water and free public buses for women among other facilities. However, AAP feels freebies help citizens live a life of dignity.

Gopal Rai, AAP’s Delhi unit chief, said that so far, politicians used to enjoy the facilities, while citizens paid taxes. He continued that Arvind Kejriwal’s government decided that the people should also get the facilities like the politicians, adding the BJP called their attempt revdis. He said that AAP is launching the ‘Revdi Par Charcha’ campaign to discuss with the people in the city if the government should provide the facilities or not.

Launching the campaign, Arvind Kejriwal said 65,000 meetings will be held across Delhi at micro levels by the AAP leaders and workers. He said that AAP has six revdis for the people of Delhi. Mentioning that the Prime Minister and BJP have said several times that Kejriwal is providing freebies to the people that should be stopped, the former Chief Minister said that now people will now tell them if they want these six freebies.  He further concluded that if the BJP is elected here, they will stop these services immediately.

While listing the six services, the AAP national convenor said that Delhi is getting free electricity round the clock. He added that there was a time when Delhi used to see power cuts for 8-10 hours, but AAP ensured that the situation changed. He also noted that his party is providing free water, free pilgrimage to senior citizens, free bus rides to women, free world-class education and free medicine and treatments. Additionally, the pamphlet launched by Arvind Kejriwal also listed that soon the women in Delhi will get Rs 1,000 per month as well, later termed as the seventh revdi by the former Chief Minister.

Reports said that the paper will be circulated across the national capital. The paper also reads that if the reader feels they are getting huge water bills, they should not pay it. It mentioned that AAP will waive all water bills once Arvind Kejriwal is re-elected.

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Rahul Gandhi says air pollution in North India a national emergency, tourism declining, global reputation crumbling

“We need a collective national response, not political blame games,” the Congress leader said on his X handle.

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1 hour ago

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November 22, 2024

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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the air pollution in North India is a national emergency that needs a collective national response and not a political blame game. The Congress leader added that due to air pollution tourism is declining and “our global reputation is crumbling”.

It is a public health crisis that is stealing children’s future and suffocating the elderly, Gandhi said, adding an environmental and economic disaster that is ruining countless lives.

“As Parliament meets in a few days, MPs will all be reminded of the crisis by our irritated eyes and sore throats. It is our responsibility to come together and discuss how India can end this crisis once and for all,” the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

The former Congress chief said the poorest “among us suffer the most”, unable to escape the toxic air surrounding them. Families are gasping for clean air, children are falling sick, and millions of lives are being cut short, he added.

The Rae Bareli MP noted that the pollution cloud covers hundreds of kilometres. He said cleaning it up will require major changes and decisive action from governments, companies, experts, and citizens.

“We need a collective national response, not political blame games,” the Congress leader said on his X handle.

Gandhi also shared a video on a social media platform where he discussed the capital’s air pollution with environmentalist expert Vimalendu Jha. In the video, the Congress leader said he has been facing eye-burning and breathing issues and how the last week in Delhi has been terrible.

He said, “I tell my mother to leave town this month.” Jha explains to Gandhi that the sources of air pollution in Delhi are episodic and perennial. Episodic sources are firecrackers and stubble burning, which affect the month of November. “Vehicular contributes 50 per cent of Delhi’s pollution and construction-related roadside dust is another 30 per cent,” Jha said.

The Air Quality Index in Delhi has been severe since November 16, making it five consecutive days till Wednesday. On November 15, the average AQI was 396 (very poor).

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Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far.

Published

2 hours ago

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November 22, 2024

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Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

Indian Navy officials on Friday said that an Indian fishing vessel with a crew of 13 collided with an Indian Naval submarine near the Goa coast. 

Following the incident, a massive search and rescue operation has been launched by the Indian Navy, which has deployed six ships and aircraft. Reportedly, while 11 crew have been rescued, two are still missing.

The Ministry of Defence issued a statement and said that the vessel, Marthoma, collided with a Scorpene-class submarine about 70 nautical miles off the Goa coast. It added that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two are underway and are being coordinated with Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai (MRCC). It further mentioned that additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts.

The statement said that the cause of the incident is being investigated. Notably, Scorpene-class submarines are a major part of India’s naval power in the Indian Ocean as they can undertake multifarious types of missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance.

Reports said that the state-of-the-art technology utilised for the construction of the Scorpene-class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimized shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision-guided weapons. Furthermore, the attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on the surface.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy in its statement said that 13 crew members were aboard the fishing vessel at the time of the collision. It added that while 11 crew have been rescued so far, two fishermen are still reported missing.

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far. He stated that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two crew members of Marthoma are in progress and are being coordinated with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Mumbai. Additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts, he continued.

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