Big Blow for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Surat Court dismisses plea seeking stay on conviction in defamation case

In a major setback for the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Surat court on Thursday has dismissed his plea challenging his conviction in the Modi surname defamation case.

After this, Gandhi is reportedly all set to contest the court's decision in the High Court. He is expected to soon file a plea against his conviction. He will also be holding an interaction with the media at 4 pm later today.

Rahul was granted bail earlier this month

On April 3, the Surat Sessions Court granted bail to Rahul Gandhi, a Congress leader who had been convicted in a defamation case filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi.

Rahul had made a remark about the Modi surname while addressing a campaign event ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The court also issued notices to the complainant and the state government regarding Rahul's plea for a stay on his conviction. The order was reserved for April 20.

The Modi Surname Defamation Row

Rahul Gandhi, a former Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, was sentenced to two years in jail on March 23 by a lower court in Surat under sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was disqualified as an MP the following day, as per a Supreme Court ruling in 2013 that automatically disqualifies any MP or MLA convicted and sentenced to two years or more.

What did Gandhi say?

The case pertained to a comment Rahul made at a rally in Karnataka's Kolar in April 2019, where he said, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Published on: Thursday, April 20, 2023, 11:09 AM IST