Rahul Gandhi At Surat Court For Appeal In 'Modi Surname' Case, Priyanka Gandhi Accompanies Him

On March 23, the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma had sentenced 52-year-old Gandhi to two years in jail after he was found guilty in a 2019 defamation case for his ‘Modi surname’ remark. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Surat Court to file appeal against his conviction in 2019 defamation case

Source : ABP Asmita

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached sessions court in Surat today amid heavy police presence to file appeal challenging his conviction in the 2019 defamation case over his ‘Modi-surname’ remark. He was accompanied by Priyanka Gandhi, chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states, and other party leaders as he entered the court to file an appeal.  

The Congress leader sought suspension of his sentence by the session court for today itself. 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gahlot, Congress Rajya Sabha member KC Venugopal and other senior party leaders were also in the city. 

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are also likely to be in the city as Gandhi moves court, as per a PTI report. 

On March 23, the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma sentenced 52-year-old Gandhi to two years in jail after he was found guilty in a 2019 defamation case for his ‘Modi surname’ remark. 

The court had held the Congress leader guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500. 

The same day, he was granted bail by the court which suspended the sentence for 30 days to appeal in a higher court. 

Following his conviction, Gandhi was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha on March 24 by the Lok Sabha Secretariat and was asked to vacate his official residence as well.

The case was filed against Gandhi on a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi for the Congress leader's alleged remarks "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" Gandhi, who had served as an MP from Wayanad in Kerala, made the remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019, during the Lok Sabha elections campaign.

The sentence of two years invited his disqualification from the membership of Parliament under provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.