A SURAT COURT Thursday convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a 2019 defamation case, in which he allegedly referred to thieves having the surname Modi, and sentenced him to two years in prison.
The court approved Gandhi's bail on a surety of ₹15,000 and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal. Gandhi, who is MP from Wayanad in Kerala, can avert disqualification from Lok Sabha if an appellate court stays the conviction and suspends the two-year jail term.
He was present in the courtroom when Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Verma held him guilty. In its order, the court said that the case of the complainant - it was lodged by Purnesh Modi, former Gujarat minister and BJP MLA from Surat West - "has been proven without doubt" based on witness statements, documentary and electronic evidence.
The case against Gandhi was over his remark on April 13, 2019 during an election rally in Kolar in Karnataka where he allegedly said, "Why do all thieves have the name Modi?".
This story is from the March 24, 2023 edition of Financial Express Mumbai.
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This story is from the March 24, 2023 edition of Financial Express Mumbai.
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