Veteran Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was recently disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha after being sentenced to a two-year jail term over a 2019 defamation case, is set to challenge his conviction on the Surat session court’s judgement tomorrow.
Rahul Gandhi is expected to appear in court along with a veteran leader such as K C Venugopal, but the final plan has to be finalised, as per a source.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot has been arriving in Surat today. Top Congress leaders are expected to reach Surat tomorrow.
The defamation case was filed against Wayanad MP by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi for saying, “How come all thieves have the common surname Modi?”
Rahul Gandhi made his remark during his 2019 Lok Sabha election rally in Karnataka, targeting PM Modi over his surname, which he shares with fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi.
Gandhi was asked to vacate his official Delhi bungalow days after his disqualification because he was no longer entitled to it. However, Congress party lashed out at the government and said that it was a conspiracy to stifle the voice of Rahul Gandhi as he put tough questions in the Parliament regarding PM Modi’s closeness with industrialist Gautam Adani. He always tried to raise the Adani-Hindenburg issue.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah dismissed Rahul’s protest and said that he has lost his membership in the Lok Sabha after being convicted by a court. He further added that he should move to a higher court to challenge his case. He has been trying to blame PM Modi.
The opposition parties came together on one platform after the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, and several political foes raised their voices together on this issue.
However, as per Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code, a two-year sentence in a criminal defamation case, under which Mr Gandhi was convicted, is extremely rare.