Picture : Twitter/ ANI
In a setback for former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the Surat Sessions Court has Surat court has rejected plea for a stay on his conviction in the defamation case.
On April 3, the Surat Sessions Court had granted bail to the Congress leader, who had filed an appeal following his conviction in the case.
While granting bail to the former MP, the court also issued notices to complainant Purnesh Modi and the state government on the Congress leader’s plea for a stay on his conviction. It heard both parties and then reserved the order for April 20.
Rahul Gandhi was a Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad but was disqualified after a lower court in Surat sentenced him to two years in jail on March 23 under sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in a case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Purnesh Modi.
The case pertained to a remark Rahul Gandhi made using the surname ‘Modi’ while addressing a campaign event ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
