A Surat Sessions court on Thursday reserved its verdict in the appeal filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a stay on conviction by the Magistrate court in a criminal defamation case filed against him in 2019 by BJP leader Purnesh Modi for “Modi surname” remarks, reported Bar and Bench.
Judge Robin Mogera heard Gandhi and Modi before reserving the matter, and said that the order will be pronounced on April 20.
Gandhi was convicted on March 23 by a metropolitan magistrate’s court which sentenced him to two years imprisonment holding him guilty for his “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi. How come all the thieves have ‘Modi’ as a common surname?” remarks, made during an election rally in Kolar, Karnataka.
Following his conviction, Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament, thereby declaring his Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala vacant. He had filed an appeal before the sessions court against the verdict, and also prayed for a stay to the conviction.
Rahul’s disqualification became a major political flashpoint as the Opposition party leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, condemned the disqualification.
“In PM Modi’s New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP! While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, Opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches. Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy,” she had tweeted on March 24.