New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, recently disqualified from the Parliament after being sentenced to two years in prison over a 2019 defamation case, will challenge his conviction and sentencing in the Surat sessions court tomorrow, sources said. The former Congress president has, in his plea, asked the sessions court to set aside the Magistrate order convicting him in the defamation case. He also asked for an interim stay on the conviction till the matter is disposed of.
Rahul Gandhi was granted bail and his sentence was suspended for 30 days to let him appeal the decision but was swiftly suspended by the Lok Sabha secretariat. Opposition leaders questioned the “bullet train” speed with which action was taken against him.
Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to a two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case and subsequently lost his Lok Sabha membership.
As per the allegations, Rahul Gandhi, during Congress’s election campaign in Kolar in 2019, made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname, which resulted in his conviction by a Gujarat local court on March 23.
The court convicted the Congress leader for his “all thieves have Modi surname” remark under 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case was filed against the Congress MP in 2019 by a Gujarat BJP MLA over his “why all the thieves have Modi in their name” remark.
In the complaint, the MLA, Purnesh Modi, alleged Rahul Gandhi defamed the entire Modi community with his statement.
The complaint was filed under IPC sections 499 and 500, both providing for defamation.
