A sessions court in Surat on Thursday rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea to stay his conviction of two years in the Modi surname remarks defamation case.
The Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Surat sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail on March 23 in connection with a case filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi over his remarks, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?,” made during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.
Following the conviction, Rahul was disqualified as MP. He represented Wayanad, Kerala, in the Lower House. On April 3, Rahul was granted bail and the hearing on his plea to stay the sentence was to be held on another date.
The Congress displayed a show of strength when Rahul reached the sessions court on April 3. He was accompanied by his sister Priyanka Vadra, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and a host of other Congress leaders and lawyers.
Meanwhile, sources said that Rahul is likely to approach the Gujarat High Court now. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to social media and said that they will continue to avail all options still available to them under the law. Kirit Panwala appeared on behalf of Rahul in the sessions court on Thursday.
