Gujarat High Court verdict on Rahul Gandhi’s plea in Modi surname case today

The Gujarat High Court on Friday will deliver its verdict on the review petition filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark.

On a previous occasion, the court had denied interim protection to Rahul Gandhi in the case and had reserved his plea under consideration.

In case Rahul Gandhi’s conviction is stayed by the court, his disqualification could be reversed.

If his suspension is not stayed, Rahul Gandhi will have the option to appeal before a higher bench of the Gujarat High Court.

Currently, Rahul Gandhi stands suspended for two plus six years as a Member of Parliament.

MODI SURNAME CASE
On March 23, Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma had convicted Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment.

After he was granted bail by the court, Gandhi’s lawyer, Kirit Panwala, applied for an appeal against the judgment in the Surat Additional Session Court of Justice RP Mogera.

The case was filed against Gandhi 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.

Rahul Gandhi made the alleged remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.