Court dismisses Rahul Gandhi’s plea to stay his conviction

Additional Sessions Judge Robin P Mogera cited Gandhi’s stature as a parliamentarian and former chief of the country’s second largest political party and said he should have been more careful in his comments. He cited prima facie evidence and observations of the trial court and said that it appears that Gandhi made some derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, besides comparing people with the same surname with thieves.

“…the appellant was not an ordinary person and he was a Member of Parliament, engaged in public life. Any word spoken by the appellant would have a great impact in the mind of the general public…Moreover, a person like the appellant would have to higher standard is expected and the learned trial court had awarded punishment which was permissible in law,” said the 27-page judge. “I am of the considered view that no case has been made out by the appellant to suspend the conviction recorded against him. has made.”

The Congress termed the decision as untenable and wrong. Senior leader Abhishek Singhvi told reporters in Delhi, “The conviction has been upheld contrary to all basic fundamental principles of law… I assure you that the verdict will be challenged in the near future as per law.”

On 23 March, a court in Surat convicted Gandhi of criminal defamation and sentenced him to two years in prison for a comment he made ahead of the 2019 national elections about the Modi surname. Under the law, the conviction and two-year jail term made Gandhi ineligible to enter either house of parliament for a period of eight years.

At a rally in Karnataka in 2019, Gandhi asked the crowd, “How come all thieves have the surname Modi?” Referring to fugitives Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi, and targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.