The Supreme Court slammed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his remark that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) responsible for Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. The SC asked Rahul Gandhi to express regret or be ready to face a defamation trial.

The Supreme Court asked Rahul Gandhi while hearing a defamation case filed against him. "Why did you make a sweeping statement against the RSS  branding everyone associated with the organization in the same brush."

" You can't make wholesale denunciation of an organization," the SC bench led by Justice Dipak Misra observed.

The court agreed to hear detailed arguments in Mr. Gandhi's petition on July 27.

Mr. Gandhi's comments were made in March 2014 during a parliamentary election rally at Bhiwandi in Thane district of Maharashtra. RSS workers charged him with criminal defamation for allegedly referring to the “assassin of Mahatma Gandhi and his RSS background in his election speech”.

Mr. Gandhi is alleged to have said that “Gandhiji was shot dead by RSS people and their people talk of Gandhiji”.

The comment had led to a criminal complaint being filed by RSS activist Rajesh Kunte against Mr. Gandhi. Mr. Kunte termed the comment as "false, frivolous, baseless and wanton allegations, imputations against the RSS and its people with malafide motive to harm the reputation of RSS, its followers, people, swayamsevaks".

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Nandini