'All Thieves Have Modi Surname' Defamation Case: Surat Court Likely To Announce Verdict Today On Rahul Gandhi's Plea For Stay On Conviction

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi awaits a crucial verdict from the sessions court in Gujarat’s Surat regarding a plea for a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case.

The Surat court had sentenced the Congress leader to two years imprisonment on 23 March, after finding him guilty for his comment made during an election rally in 2019, where he said, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname."

BJP MLA Purnesh Modi had filed the criminal defamation case against Gandhi for his remarks.

Gandhi was then disqualified from Parliament due to his conviction, after which he appealed the decision and requested a conviction stay until the sessions court reviews his appeal.

The court of Additional Sessions Judge RP Mogera had reserved its verdict for 20 April regarding Rahul Gandhi's request for a stay on his conviction while he appeals against the lower court's ruling, sentencing him to two years in jail.

Gandhi argued that the trial court's 23 March verdict would harm his reputation irreparably if not suspended. He claimed that the stringent sentence went against the relevant law and was uncalled-for given the political undertones of the case.

He called his conviction "erroneous" and "patently perverse," saying the trial court's harsh treatment was due to his status as an MP.