Imprisonment in defamation case: Rahul Gandhi moves Supreme Court challenging Gujarat High Court order
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been sentenced to two years in jail in a criminal defamation case related to his statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has appealed to the Supreme Court on Saturday seeking a stay on the sentence.
The Gujarat High Court had refused to stay Rahul Gandhi’s sentence last Friday. Today, Rahul Gandhi filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order.
Last March, the Surat Magistrate Court convicted Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years in jail under Sections 499, 500 of the IPC. The day after the conviction was announced, the Lok Sabha Speaker’s Office disqualified Rahul Gandhi from being an MP.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi had made a statement that all those with the name Modi are thieves. He mentioned people with the name Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi, all Modis are thieves. He quipped that how can a person with the surname Modi become a thief.
BJP MLA Purnesh Modi, outraged by Rahul’s statement, filed a complaint. In the month of April 2019, a defamation case was registered against Rahul Gandhi under Section 499 and 500 of the IPC.
