<span style="color: #222222;">Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today pleaded not guilty in a defamation case filed against him for allegedly tweet linking the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh to the BJP-RSS ideology. He was subsequently granted bail on a surety of fifteen thousand rupees by Mumbai's Magistrate Court. He will now face trial but the court has granted him permanent exemption from appearance during hearings in the case.<br />'' <br />'' Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Mr. Gandhi said his fight against the ruling BJP will continue with more rigour, adding that he stands with the country's poor, farmers and labourers. This comes a day after Mr. Gandhi publicly announced his resignation as the President of Congress party.<br />'' <br />'' Several senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Milind Deora accompanied Gandhi as he reached the Sewri court this morning. Several Congress workers were also seen waving flags outside the court to show their support to Mr. Gandhi.<br />'' <br />'' RSS worker Dhrutiman Joshi had filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for defaming Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. While dismissing the complaint against Sonia Gandhi and the CPI (M); the court had issued summons to Rahul Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury to appear before it.<br />'' <br />''Mr. Yechury also pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on a surety on fifteen thousand rupees. He will also face trial.</span><br />