Nithyakalyani Narayanan. V
The Gujarat High Court rejects the revision plea of Rahul Gandhi to stay the verdict in the defamation case of the ‘Modi-surname’ remark case. With this order, he will not be able to contest elections and remain suspended as an MP.
The court held that the Congress leader is seeking the stay on “absolutely non-existent grounds”. The Bench remarked that there are as many as 10 cases pending against him and the order passed by the Trial Court is right and does not need to be interfered with.
The case is over the remark made by the ex-MP in the 2019 Lok Sabha campaign, where he asked, “why all thieves have the same surname?”, citing persons like Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi. Former Gujarat Minister Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case against him, remarking that it the entire Modi community was defamed by the statement. In March 2023, the Surat Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate sentenced Gandhi to two years imprisonment and disqualification of Lok Sabha Member.