Cong leader gets 2-year jail sentence, granted bail Defamation: Gujarat court finds Rahul guilty

 Case filed against Congress leader over his remark on the Modi surname while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections

Rahul Gandhi.: File Picture

PTI  | 23.03.23 : A court in Surat in Gujarat on Thursday held Congress leader Rahul Gandhi guilty in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed in connection with his "Modi surname" remarks.

• My dharma is based on truth and non-violence, says Rahul quoting Mahatma Gandhi in first reaction to the verdict, reports NDTV
• Rahul Gandhi granted bail and his 2-year sentence in 2019 criminal defamation case suspended for 30 days, reports PTI
• Two-year sentence for Rahul Gandhi in 2019 defamation case, Surat court grants bail, reports NDTV

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.

The Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad made the remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Reacting to the court order outside Parliament on Thursday, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress was “suffering” because of Gandhi’s “attitude”. “Whatever Rahul Gandhi says always affects Congress party and the entire nation in a negative way,” he told a news agency, reports The Indian Express.

Gandhi had last appeared before the Surat court in the case, filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (dealing with defamation), in October 2021 to record his statement.

The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma had last week concluded hearing final arguments from both sides and set March 23 to pronounce its judgment in the four-year-old defamation case.