As the court indicated the order it may pass, Sibal said: “I am not making any addition, adjustment or subtraction” in what Gandhi had said in his affidavit. Though the kid refuses to have spoken a single word with his bench-mate, he would again repeat the same. “The BJP would be well advised to look at the advice which the Supreme Court yesterday gave to Jayalalithaa government that stop using instruments of coercion and intimidation in order to fight your political battles”, he said. So this Twitter attempt could well end up being a case of too little too late.
Advertisement
This was seen as a major climb-down by the Congress vice president. But he didn’t, in what many saw as a big “fail” and a missed opportunity for him to show a semblance of stick-to-itiveness.
He had buttressed his stand by citing paragraphs from his affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court, while challenging the summons issued to him as an accused for his alleged defamatory statement in a 2015 election rally in Maharashtra.
“You must either apologise or face trial”.
“RSS people killed Gandhiji”.
Thereafter, Tata Motors and Mercedes moved the court against the ban and said that they feared a loss in revenue if the ban continued. “We have already said this in the High Court in my affidavit”. He has to tell on oath before the court how he understands the statement and how the offence is made out. “It was also clearly suggested that the assassins were associated or affiliated with RSS” and never accused RSS as an institution of the crime. “It was only after home minister Sardar Patel, after conducting a thorough inquiry, could not find any RSS hand in the assassination, the ban was lifted in 1949”, said Anil Kumar, RSS spokesperson for Meerut province, comprising 14 districts of west UP.
At this, the bench said that it would record the statement by Sibal and put the matter to rest. Rahul Gandhi then sought an exemption for appearing before the court and appealed that the case should be quashed.
Advertisement
The penal provisions make defamation an offence punishable with up to a two-year jail term. The court will hear the case next on September 1.
