A Thane court has imposed a fine of Rs 500 on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the delayed submission of a written statement in a civil defamation case. The case was filed by RSS activist Vivek Champanerkar, who sought damages of Rs 1 from Gandhi for connecting the RSS with the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh.

Rahul Gandhi`s lawyer, Narayan Iyer, attributed the 881-day delay to the extensive travel demands of his client, who resides in Delhi and is an active Member of Parliament. Despite granting condonation of the delay and accepting the written statement, the magistrate`s court decided to impose a Rs 500 fine, the PTI report added.