Surat court rejects Rahul Gandhi's application seeking stay on conviction
A sessions court in Gujarat's Surat on Thursday rejected an application filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a stay on his conviction in the 2019 criminal defamation case for his "Modi surname" remark. Notably, Gandhi lost his seat in Parliament after his conviction in the case, which entails a two-year jail sentence. He is currently out on bail.
Why does this story matter?
Targeting PM Narendra Modi at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi remarked, "How come all the thieves have the common surname Modi?" A magistrate court in Surat last month convicted Gandhi for defaming the "entire Modi community." The general elections are scheduled for 2024, but Gandhi won't be able to contest until six years after his release.
Will avail all options available under law: Jairam Ramesh
The application's dismissal implies that Gandhi cannot be reinstated to Parliament and will now have to knock on the doors of the Gujarat High Court or Supreme Court against the Surat court's order. Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that they will "continue to avail all options still available to us under the law." Gandhi was disqualified from Parliament a day after his conviction.
BJP's Naranbhai Kachhadiya wasn't disqualified in 2016 despite conviction
In April 2016, BJP MP from Gujarat's Amreli, Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadiya was sentenced to three years on charges of assaulting a Dalit doctor on duty at a government hospital. However, then Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not disqualify him and he got a stay on his conviction 16 days later. Citing Kachhadiya's case, the Congress accused the Modi government of double standards.
Bihar's BJP MP Sushil Modi filed similar case against Gandhi
The complaint against Gandhi, MP from Kerala's Wayanad, was filed by BJP leader Purnesh Modi from Gujarat. A similar case against Gandhi was filed by BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi in Bihar's Patna. Gandhi, on the other hand, claimed the court treated him harshly considering his position as an MP and asserted that there is no definite Modi samaj or community on record.
