Rahul Gandhi Convicted By Surat Court, Know All About ‘Modi Surname’ Case Against Congress MP

SURAT: In a major development, a court in Gujarat’s Surat on Thursday convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed against him over his alleged ‘Modi surname’ remarks made by him in 2019. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma held Rahul Gandhi guilty under Section 504 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace. Rahul Gandhi, currently the Congress MP from Wayanad, was present in the court when the verdict was pronounced. The court sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail but he has been released on bail so he can appeal the verdict.

Gandhi had reached the city yesterday and was received by senior party leaders, including Jagdish Thakor, legislature party leader Amit Chavda, senior leader Arjun Modhwadia, AICC in-charge of Gujarat Raghu Sharma at the Surat airport.

What Did Rahul Gandhi Actually Say?

Apparently taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress MP, while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said, “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” Raising strong objections to his remarks, a case was filed against him by former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. Rahul Gandhi was booked under Sections 499 and 500 (defamation). He had last appeared before the Surat court in October 2021 and record his statement.

Who Filed The Case Against Rahul Gandhi?

The case against Rahul Gandhi was filed under IPC sections 499, 500 (for criminal defamation), and 504 on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. These sections invite a jail term of up to two years or fine or both.

Who Is Purnesh Modi?

Purnesh Modi was a minister in the first tenure of the Bhupendra Patel government. He was re-elected from the Surat West Assembly seat in the December elections. In 2019, when Purnesh Modi filed the case against him,  Rahul Gandhi shrugged it off as a 'desperate' move by his political rivals to 'silence' him.

What Were the Arguments Of Rahul Gandhi’s Lawyer?

Rahul Gandhi's lawyer has argued before the court that legal proceedings against his client were "flawed" from the beginning. The lawyer also argued that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and not MLA Purnesh Modi, should have been the complainant in the case because the PM was the main target of Gandhi's speech.

The court concluded the final arguments from both sides and set March 23 as the date to pronounce its judgment in the four-year-old defamation case. Senior Congress leader and MLA Arjun Modhwadia said last week that the truth was being put to test and harassed. He claimed the BJP foisted false cases against Gandhi. 

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP has welcomed the conviction and sentencing of Rahul Gandhi in the Modi Surname case.