Surat: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been sentenced to two years in jail by a district court in Gujarat’s Surat in a criminal defamation case filed in 2019. However, Rahul Gandhi later got bail from the court. The case pertains to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on ‘Modi surname’.
Rahul Gandhi was granted bail for 30 days and allowed to appeal against the decision in the High Court. Rahul Gandhi arrived in Surat this morning and was welcomed by top party leaders in the state.
The case was registered under sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code. Rahul Gandhi had appeared before a Surat court in October 2021 to record his statement. Arjun Modhwadia said on Thursday, “Truth is tested and troubled, but truth wins. Many false cases have been filed against Gandhi, but he will get out of all this. We will get justice.”
The case has been filed against Gandhi for his alleged remarks that “Why all thieves have the same surname Modi?” Earlier, he had said that whatever punishment someone gives him, it will be acceptable.
A petition was filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi against this controversial statement of Rahul. Rahul, a Lok Sabha member from Wayanad, made the remarks at a public meeting in Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Verma last week held final hearing of arguments from both sides and fixed March 23 as the date for pronouncement of the verdict, Gandhi’s lawyer Kirit Panwala said.