Setback For Rahul Gandhi: Gujarat High Court Dismisses Plea For Stay On Conviction In Defamation Case

The Gujarat High Court today (7 July) dismissed the criminal revision application filed by disqualified member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi.

The single judge bench rejected his plea for stay on conviction in view of a sessions court order.

Had the Gujarat HC stayed the conviction, it would have paved the way for Gandhi to be reinstated as Wayanad MP.

However, the court was of the view that the order of the sessions court should decide the case on its own merits.

Gandhi was sentenced by the Surat Court to two years imprisonment. He was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction. Though he is on bail since then.

Gandhi challenged the order in a sessions court in Surat along with an application seeking a stay on the conviction. While granting him bail, the court, on 20 April, refused to stay the conviction, after which he approached the HC.

The Gujarat High Court had on 2 May reserved its verdict in the matter. Justice Prachchhak refused to grant any interim relief to Gandhi.

MLA Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case against Gandhi over his "how come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remark made during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on 13 April 2019.