Mumbai: A criminal defamation case has been registered against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its general secretary Sitaram Yechury for connecting murder of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh’s with “BJP-RSS ideology”.
As per a report by Deccan Chronicle, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker Dhrutiman Joshi, a 27-year-old lawyer had filed the private complaint in a local court.
“After Rahul Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury made statements linking Gauri Lankesh’s murder with RSS ideology, many of my friends started asking me if RSS was behind her murder,” said Joshi.
It also sought issuance of summons and process for the criminal defamation case against the Gandhis and Yechury under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for defaming the RSS and BJP.
“One of my friends from America and few lawyer friends were ridiculed and told that their organisation and its ideology had killed her. I have those Facebook messages and I really do not appreciate it. I personally felt very bad because I am not part of something that is a murderer institution. So to make things clear in the eyes of the public, and to make them also realise that they should not make such statements, I have filed this suit,” he added.