The Surat Sessions Court began hearing on Thursday (13) on a plea made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a stay on his two-year jail sentence in a defamation case related to his "Modi surname" remark.
BJP MLA Purnesh Modi, who filed the complaint, has opposed Gandhi's plea in court, stating that the Congress leader is a "repetitive offender" who habitually makes defamatory statements.
Arguments were presented by both sides on Thursday in the court of Additional Sessions Judge RP Mogera.
The lawyers representing Gandhi sought a stay on his conviction, and the court heard their arguments first. Following this, Purnesh’s lawyer, Ketan Reshamwala, entered the courtroom and presented their objections and arguments against the plea for a stay on conviction.
On March 23, 2023, a metropolitan magistrate's court in Surat sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail for his comment made during an election rally on April 13, 2019, where he said, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?"
An appeal and a request for a stay on the conviction have been filed by Gandhi before Judge Mogera in response to the verdict. Gandhi has labeled his conviction as "erroneous" and patently perverse in his appeal.
(With inputs from PTI)
