What is 2019 defamation case against Rahul Gandhi; Know here
A Gujarat court on Thursday sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in prison in a 2019 defamation case over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname. The court, however, granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal. But how did the case begin and how did it end up in court? Here we explain.
Why does this story matter?
The case against Gandhi was filed in 2019 in Gujarat over his remarks, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" The Congress termed it as a tactic to silence the opposition. Separately, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also attempting to corner Gandhi over his recent comments in the United Kingdom (UK) about the BJP government's alleged suppression of dissent.
How did the case begin?
In 2019, while launching an attack on PM Modi, who was running for a second term at the time, Gandhi said in Karnataka's Kolar district, "Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi...How come all the thieves have Modi as a common surname?" A BJP Legislator from Surat (West) Purnesh Modi, took offense and filed a complaint, accusing Gandhi of defaming the whole Modi community.
Gandhi punished under criminal defamation sections
The hearing of both parties' closing arguments was completed last week, and the ruling was announced on Thursday. Gandhi was punished under IPC sections 499 and 500, which deal with criminal defamation, according to his lawyer, Babu Mangukiya. Gandhi had last appeared in the Surat court in October 2021 to record his statement.
RaGa had pleaded not guilty, was exempted from personal appearance
During the past hearings, Gandhi told the court he knew what charges were leveled against him and pleaded not guilty. His lawyer Kirit Panwala had filed an application to excuse him from personal appearances in the future, which was objected to by Purnesh's lawyer Hasmukh Lalwala. However, Gandhi was subsequently exempted from an appearance on several occasions.
PM Modi not MLA Modi should have complained: Gandhi's counsel
Gandhi's counsel had contended that the judicial processes were "flawed" and that the complainant in the case should have been PM Modi, not MLA Purnesh because the PM was the main target of Gandhi's statement. Notably, Purnesh, who served as a minister during Bhupendra Patel's first term as Gujarat CM, was re-elected to the Surat West Assembly seat in the December elections.
BJP's Sushil Modi also filed case in the matter
Notably, another BJP leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi had also filed a case in a Patna court for Gandhi's statements. He accused Gandhi of "insulting the Modi community." However, the judgment in this case is still pending.
