Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been asked to appear before a court in Bihar's capital Patna on April 25 in a defamation case filed by BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi. The case was lodged over Gandhi's purported remark on 'Modi surname' during a political rally in Karnataka's Kolar in 2019. He had allegedly said, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname."


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This was ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the same year. A Surat court recently convicted Gandhi over the purported remark and sentenced him to two years in prison. He is currently out on bail. After his conviction, Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha as an MP.


Also Read: In Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi Hits Out At BJP For Taking Away His MP 'Tag'


The MP/MLA court of Special Judicial Magistrate Aadi Dev had passed an order on March 18 asking Gandhi to appear before it on April 12 as per a PTI report. However, during the hearing on Wednesday, the defense counsel sought another date stating that the entire team was busy with the Surat case. To this, the judge asked Gandhi's counsel to ensure his physical appearance before the court on the next date of hearing in the case on April 25.


Statements from the complainant's side have been recorded, and all evidence has been submitted to the court. Now, only the statement Gandhi is to be recorded.


Congress has said it will fight the matter both politically and legally and will take the issue to the public. Party leaders feel that Gandhi's disqualification has helped bring unity among the opposition ranks, with its first consequence being 19 opposition parties now displaying rare unity against the BJP, against only a handful in the past.