Thane, Aug 31 Zee Media has told the Bhiwandi magistrate's court hearing a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi that it does not have the original footage of the Congress leader's rally in 2014.
RSS activist Rajesh Kunte has filed the case, claiming that Gandhi, speaking at an election rally on March 6, 2014, at Sonale village in the district, made defamatory statements linking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Responding to a court summons to present video evidence of the rally, Zee Media (Zee 24 Taas) submitted a formal application stating its inability to produce the footage.
The network said that the broadcast took place over 12 years ago, and under standard "compliance logging" guidelines, TV channels are legally mandated to retain telecast records for only 90 days.
The reporters who covered the event have since resigned or retired, it added.
The court on Saturday scheduled the next hearing of the case to October 3, said Gandhi's counsel, advocate Narayan Iyer.
