Defamation Case: Rahul Gandhi To Appeal In Higher Court Against His Conviction, Says Congress

A number of Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, expressed their anger on the issue.

New Delhi: Congress party on Thursday said that Rahul Gandhi would appeal a Gujarat court's decision that found him guilty in a criminal defamation case in 2019 and that the government was after him for speaking the truth and exposing its "misdeeds."

"Coward, dictator BJP government is rattled by Rahul Gandhi and the opposition because we are exposing their bad deeds by demanding JPC. Modi government has gone politically bankrupt. It sends ED, police and lodges cases against speeches. We will appeal in higher courts," Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote in a Hindi tweet. 

Kharge slammed the BJP, declaring that an appeal will be filed in the matter. He told reporters that if they point one finger at someone else, four fingers are also pointed at them.

In the case brought by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his alleged remark, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" a court in Surat imposed a sentence of two years in prison on Gandhi. 

His attorney, Babu Mangukiya, stated that the court also granted Gandhi bail and suspended the sentence for thirty days to permit him to appeal to a higher court.

A number of Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, spoke out angrily about the matter while Rahul Gandhi, who was present in court, later quoted Mahatma Gandhi on truth and nonviolence.

"Truth and nonviolence are the foundations of my religion. Truth is my God, peacefulness the necessary resources to get to it - - Mahatma Gandhi,'' Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi not long after the court decision.

He paid tribute to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru on their martyrdom day in another tweet, claiming that these brave sons of Mother India taught them how to fight fearlessly for the country while holding on to truth and courage.

"We knew such a thing could happen... they kept changing judges. But we have faith in the judiciary and will fight as per the law," Priyanka Gandhi also took to Twitter to back her sibling and attack the BJP.

"A scared machinery of power is trying to suppress the voice of Rahul Gandhi through 'saam, daam, dand, bhed' (every trick in the book)." "My brother has never been afraid, nor will he ever be. He has lived his life speaking the truth, will continue to speak the truth, will continue to raise the voice of the people of the country," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

Jairam Ramesh, general secretary of the Congress, stated in response to the development, "This is new India, If you raise your voice against injustice, then ED-CBI, police, FIR will be imposed."

"Rahul Gandhi ji is also being punished for speaking the truth, for raising his voice against a dictator," the statement reads. He stated that Rahul Gandhi will use his right to appeal the country's law and that he will do so.

"Everyone knows, Rahul Gandhi ji is raising his voice against a dictator. Showing the courage to call a wrong, a wrong," the Congress stated in a Hindi tweet. having the confidence to call something wrong a wrong.

"The dictator is rattled by this courage. He is trying to intimidate sometimes via ED, sometimes via police, sometimes via case, sometimes via punishment," the party said.

It stated, "We will fight and win." Pawan Khera, the head of the party's media department, stated that Rahul Gandhi would continue to question the government.

"Shah & Shahanshah want an India where a silent opposition is lying in the corner of a room, where an obedient media dances to their tune, where subservient agencies work on their directions. Rahul Gandhi does not let that happen...," he said on Twitter.

Digvijaya Singh, a member of his party, said that the current situation is one in which taking Modi's name constitutes defamation.

Singh told reporters in front of Parliament, "It must be looked at in what context the comments were made, Gandhi was talking about those who have run away with the country's money."

Congress Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan and Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh praised Rahul Gandhi for standing up for the truth and resisting government pressure.

What Is The 2019 Defamation Case?

The case was filed against the Wayanad MP for his alleged “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” remarks on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. Gandhi made the alleged remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In his complaint, the BJP MLA alleged that Gandhi  while addressing the poll rally in 2019, defamed the entire Modi community by purportedly saying, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" Modi was a minister in the first tenure of the Bhupendra Patel government. The ruling party legislator was re-elected from the Surat West Assembly seat in the December elections.

A case was registered against the Congress leader under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (dealing with defamation). Gandhi last appeared in the Surat court in October 2021 to record his statement. Before that, the Congress MP had appeared in the court to plead not guilty to charges levelled against him.