The Congress is likely to file an appeal against Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in the 2019 defamation case by the end of this week, The Indian Express reported, citing sources in Gandhi’s legal team.
Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha, a day after his conviction and two-year sentence in a defamation case by a Surat court regarding his ‘Modi surname’ comments made in 2019 in Karnataka.
Congress party general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal on Tuesday said at a press conference that the party will file an appeal as early as possible.
“Filing an appeal can’t be done hastily… Our legal team is looking at all the aspects. We will do it as early as possible,” Venugopal said, adding, “We will do (it). Don’t worry.”
On the Surat court’s order, Venugopal asked why the defamation case against Rahul was filed in Gujarat, when the speech was made in Kolar, Karnataka, and alleged that it was a “clearly designed project to disqualify Rahul Gandhi”.
Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh alleged that the disqualification of Gandhi was “match-fixing”.
“All this talk about shortcomings of the legal team is to divert attention from this match-fixing… Big leaders (of the BJP) are spreading the word in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha… that there will be a delay, that there are some shortcomings, that it is being done deliberately. It is all nonsense,” Ramesh said.
He also said that one needed to understand the “chronology” of the events.
“Rahul Gandhi makes the speech (about the allegations against Gautam Adani, in the Lok Sabha) on February 7. On February 16, the Brahmin Modi (Purnesh Modi, the petitioner in the defamation case) gets the stay he had got in the High Court withdrawn. On February 27, the arguments begin, the judgment gets reserved on March 17 and Rahul is disqualified on March 23… It is very clear match-fixing to divert attention from the match-fixing,” Ramesh said.
Ramesh’s reference to Purnesh Modi as “Brahmin Modi” seemed directed to counter the charge that Rahul had insulted the OBC community with his comments.
