Surat: In a setback for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a Sessions Court in Surat this morning rejected his plea for stay on his conviction by a Magistrate Court in a criminal defamation case against him over his ‘Modi’ surname slur.
Additional Sessions Judge Robin Mogera refused to stay the conviction. This would mean that Gandhi would continue to stand disqualified from Lok Sabha and cannot be reinstated.
The former Congress President was convicted by a Magistrate Court in Surat on Mar. 23 for his remark, “All thieves have Modi surname” which he had made at an election rally in Kolar in 2019.
Rahul Gandhi had requested that his conviction be paused pending his appeal against a Court order sentencing him to two years in jail in the case. Rahul Gandhi had said that the Trial Court treated him harshly after being overwhelmingly influenced by his status as an MP.
The Congress leader was disqualified as an MP a day after Magistrate Hadirash Varma sentenced him to two years in jail in the case filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi. Gandhi had said in his speech, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi. How come all the thieves have ‘Modi’ as a common surname?” Purnesh Modi filed a defamation suit against Gandhi claiming that by this statement, Gandhi defamed all the persons with the ‘Modi’ surname.
The Judge said that Rahul Gandhi, through his statement, had insulted all persons with the Modi surname for his political interest.
In his petition filed through his advocate at the Sessions Court, Rahul Gandhi told the Court, “My speech isn’t defamatory unless drawn out of context, looked under a magnifying glass to create or to make it defamatory. Basically, litigation was inflicted upon me for daring to be vociferously critical of our PM. The trial was harsh and unfair to me.”
However, Purnesh Modi argued, “Rahul Gandhi’s conduct deserves no sympathy and his sentence shouldn’t be suspended. He isn’t saying sorry. This is his arrogance he can’t say sorry. He is such a tall leader. Such a big personality, he can’t say sorry but only shows arrogance. He isn’t entitled to any relief at this stage.”
This post was published on April 20, 2023 7:44 pm