Rahul Gandhi appears before Patna court in defamation case filed by Sushil Modi, granted bail

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday appeared before a Patna court in connection with defamation suit filed by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi. He was granted bail by the court. 

The BJP leader had filed the case before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's (CJM) court in April, taking exception to a snide remark made by Gandhi at an election rally in Karnataka's Kolar district that all thieves had the surname Modi -- referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bank-fraud accused Nirav Modi and former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi.

The case was referred by CJM Shashikant Roy to ACJM Kumar Gunjan.

After being granted bail Gandhi, who resigned as the Congress chief earlier this week taking moral responsibility for his party's Lok Sabha election debacle, said whoever raises voice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, the BJP and the RSS is slapped with court cases.

He was accompanied by senior Bihar Congress leaders and party's state in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil. 

"Whoever stands against RSS' and Narendra Modi ji's ideology is attacked, court cases are slapped. My fight is to save the Constitution, to stand for the poor and the farmers," he said. 

Congress workers staged a demonstration outside the court, asking Rahul Gandhi to withdraw his resignation. 

Earlier today, Mr Gandhi said he would appear in a court in Patna for a case filed by his "political opponents" in the BJP-RSS to "harass and intimidate" him.

"I will appear in person at the Civil Court in Patna today at 2 PM, in yet another case filed against me by my political opponents in the RSS/BJP to harass & intimidate me. Satyameva Jayate," he said in a tweet. 

Gandhi's appearance in the Patna court comes days after he as well as CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury pleading not guilty in a defamation case in Mumbai filed against them by an RSS worker.

Gandhi and Yechury, who pleaded not guilty in the case in the Mazgaon-Sewree metropolitan magistrate's court, will now face trial during which the court would record their statements and that of the complainant as well as other witnesses. 

(With PTI inputs)