Rahul Gandhi Appeals to Bombay High Court Over Bhiwandi Court’s Decision on Speech Transcript
In a recent development, Rahul Gandhi has approached thec, challenging an order passed by the Bhiwandi magistrate. The case traces back to 2014 when Rajesh Kunte accused Gandhi of making defamatory remarks in a speech, alleging that the Hindu organization RSS was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Following the accusations, Kunte lodged a complaint with the Bhiwandi magistrate in 2014. Taking cognizance of the complaint, the magistrate summoned Gandhi for a court appearance. In response, Gandhi, in 2014, moved to the High Court seeking to quash the criminal proceedings against him. As part of his petition, Gandhi attached a transcript of the purported defamatory speech.
Kunte argued before the magistrate that by annexing a copy of his speech to the petition, Gandhi had effectively acknowledged the speech. However, the Magistrate Court dismissed this application, leading Kunte to approach the High Court.
In a 2021 ruling, the High Court dismissed Kunte’s petition, stating,
“merely because a document of Kunte was annexed to Gandhi’s petition, it would not make such a document a ‘public document’
thus allowing Kunte to prove the same in accordance with the law.
However, on June 3, 2023, during Kunte’s examination, the Magistrate accepted the 2014 writ petition, including its annexures, into the record, despite strong objections from Gandhi.
Gandhi’s recent plea to the High Court states,
“The petitioner is aggrieved by the order dated June 3, 2023 passed by the 2nd Jt. Civil Judge, JD, JMFC, Bhiwandi marking the entire writ petition, i.e. criminal writ petition No. 1960 of 2014 along with its annexures and reading it into evidence in SCC No. 2425/2014 and hence is approaching this Court seeking to quash and set aside the same.”
This ongoing legal battle underscores the complexities and nuances of defamation cases, especially when they intersect with political narratives and public figures. The outcome of Gandhi’s appeal will be keenly observed, given its implications for freedom of speech and the legal processes surrounding defamation.
