Didn’t blame RSS for killing Mahatma Gandhi: Rahul to SC

New Delhi, Aug 24 (PTI) Political slugfest betweenCongress and RSS seemed to be drawing to a conclusion withRahul Gandhi today choosing to set the records straight bytelling Supreme Court that he had never blamed RSS as aninstitution for killing Mahatama Gandhi but persons associatedwith it were behind the assassination. He buttressed his stand by citing paragraphs from hisaffidavit filed in the Bombay High Court, while challengingthe summons issued to him as an accused for his allegeddefamatory statement in a 2015 election rally in Maharashtra. A bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and R F Narimansaid if the complainant agrees to the submission, it will takethe statement on record and dispose of the petition. "What we understand is that the accused never blamed RSSas an institution that killed Mahatma Gandhi but the personsassociated with it were responsible for the killing," thebench said. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the CongressVice President, cited the affidavit filed before the HighCourt saying he had only accused certain people of RSS and notthe organisation as the killer of Mahatma Gandhi. "I never made the statement that RSS killed MahatmaGandhi but persons associated with the RSS killed him," saidthe senior advocate, who intervened midway when senior counselU R Lalit, appearing for the complainant, was justifyingintiation of criminal proceedings against Gandhi. The bench indicated it would pass an order on September 1that Gandhi has "unequivocally" stated that he had neverblamed RSS as an institution for the assassination but personsassociated with it had killed Mahatma Gandhi. It asked senior advocate Lalit appearing for RajeshMahadev Kunte, Secretary of Bhiwandi Unit of RSS and thecomplainant, to take instructions on the option of disposingof the matter and posted it on September 1. Lalit said he would take instruction as to whether thestatement, given in the affidavit, is taken on record, thenthe petition can be disposed of or not. At the outset, Sibal questioned Kunte’s statement beforethe police and said the police had no role whatsoever in aprivate defamation case. (More) PTI RKS MNL SJKARC