New Delhi: Gujarat High Court will pronounce its judgment on Rahul Gandhi's plea seeking a stay on his conviction in the defamation case over 'Modi surname' remark on Friday.
On April 3, the Surat Sessions Court granted bail to the Congress leader, who had filed an appeal following his conviction in the case. Notably, if Gandhi's conviction is stayed by the court, his disqualification could be reversed.
Earlier, the court had denied interim protection to Rahul Gandhi in the case. Justice Hemant Prachchhak had reserved his order and said he would pronounce the judgment after summer vacation in June.
"It is in the interest and fitness of the case, that the matter be decided finally and no interim protection be granted at this stage. Hence, the matter is kept for final judgment post summer vacations," Bar and Bench quoted Justice Prachchhak as saying.
The High Court also ordered the Surat trial court to place before it the original "record and proceedings" of the case.
Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha in March after he was sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat metropolitan magistrate's court in the 2019 case over his "why all thieves have Modi surname" remark. Later, the Surat sessions court declined to stay the conviction in the matter.
The former Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad had said "how come all thieves have the common surname Modi?" while addressing a rally in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, targetting PM Modi over his last name which he shares with fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi.
The case was filed by the BJP legislator Purnesh Modi.
Following his conviction, Rahul was disqualified as an MP on March 24, as per a Supreme Court ruling in 2013. Under the ruling, any MP or MLA is automatically disqualified if convicted and sentenced to two years or more.