Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (February 21, 2026) reached a magistrate’s court in Maharashtra’s Thane district to furnish a new surety in the defamation case filed against him by an RSS activist.
While Mr. Gandhi is on his way to Bhiwandi from Mumbai, BJP workers show black flags to him in Mumbai. The BJP workers call it response to Youth Congress protest at AI Summit on February 20.
The Bhiwandi magistrate’s court had asked Mr. Gandhi to present a fresh surety in the case, as former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who had stood as his surety or guarantor, passed away in December last year.
Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha reached Mumbai by Air India flight and from there he went to the Bhiwandi court by road.
He will present Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Harshwardhan Sapkal as the new surety in the case.
The judge specifically instructed Mr. Gandhi to be present in person to complete the formalities related to the new surety, his lawyer had earlier said.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist Rajesh Kunte filed a complaint in the court alleging that the Congress leader, while speaking at a rally at Sonale village during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, stated that the Sangh was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Thane police have further strengthened security in and around the court premises. Shops within a 100-meter radius of the court have also been closed as a precautionary measure. The heightened security comes ahead of the high-profile court appearance of the Congress leader.
After the hearing, Mr. Gandhi will be returning to Mumbai Airport by road and will be leaving to New Delhi by about 4 p.m.
