Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party in India, has had his plea for a stay of conviction rejected by the Surat Sessions Court in Gujarat. This stems from a criminal defamation case in 2019 where Gandhi made comments about the Modi surname. As a result of this conviction, Gandhi lost his seat as a Member of Parliament.
The court’s decision means that Gandhi’s disqualification from holding public office is still in effect. He was found guilty on March 23 and sentenced to two years in prison by a metropolitan magistrate. On March 24, he lost his seat as an MP for Kerala’s Wayanad.
Gandhi appealed the magistrate’s decision on April 3 and was granted bail until the outcome of his plea. In a speech in Karnataka, he claimed his remarks about the Modi surname were misinterpreted and not meant to be disparaging.
Purnesh Modi, a lawmaker for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), filed the complaint against Gandhi and called him a repeat offender. He also criticized Gandhi’s appeal as a “dirty display of childish arrogance.” During an election rally in Kolar, Karnataka, in April 2019, Purnesh Modi asked Gandhi how all thieves have Modi as their common surname. This led to a lawsuit being filed against Gandhi under Sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the Indian Criminal Code.
In summary, Rahul Gandhi’s plea for a stay of conviction has been rejected by the Surat Sessions Court in Gujarat. This means that his disqualification from holding public office still stands. The case stems from a criminal defamation case in 2019 where Gandhi made comments about the Modi surname, leading to his removal as an MP. Purnesh Modi, who filed the complaint against Gandhi, called him a repeat offender and criticized his appeal as a “dirty display of childish arrogance.”
