Rahul Gandhi to appeal conviction in defamation case

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit Surat city in Gujarat on Monday (03) to file an appeal in court against his criminal defamation conviction for his "Modi surname" comments.

According to sources, senior Congress figures, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states, as well as national and state party leaders, are anticipated to join him at the court. The sessions court is expected to hear the case on the same day, as per Gandhi's legal representatives.

According to sources, Gandhi will request that his sentence be suspended by the sessions court. He is expected to arrive in Surat at approximately 2 pm, as per Congress insiders. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress Rajya Sabha member K C Venugopal, along with other senior party leaders, will also be present in Surat.

As Gandhi heads to court, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are also anticipated to be in the city, the sources said.

On March 23, the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma convicted Gandhi, 52, and sentenced him to two years in prison in a 2019 criminal defamation case, after he made "Modi surname" comments that were the subject of the lawsuit.

He was found guilty under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code. However, the court granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days, giving him time to appeal to a higher court.

Following his conviction, the former Congress leader was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on March 24. This would prevent him from running for election for eight years unless his conviction and sentence are overturned by a higher court.

The case was filed against Gandhi by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi, in relation to the alleged remark made by the Congress leader, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?"

In April 2019, while campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi made the "Modi surname" comments at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka. His subsequent two-year prison sentence led to his disqualification from Parliament as per the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which mandates the disqualification of an MP or MLA upon conviction and sentencing for a minimum of two years.

(With inputs from PTI)