Supreme Court on Thursday stayed defamation proceedings against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over a statement linking Mahatma Gandhi's murder to RSS. 

The top court agreed to hear Rahul's plea seeking decriminalization of defamation law and issued a notice to Centre. 

"Criminal defamation law is colonial legacy and it has no place in democratic country like India," Rahul told the apex court.

"The law violates people's fundamental right to free speech and must be done away away with," the Congress vice-president said.