Rahul Gandhi, the head of the Congress, has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat High Court’s decision to uphold his conviction and sentence in the defamation case involving the “Modi-surname remark.” The lawsuit contests the rulings of lower courts that found Rahul Gandhi guilty of defamation and sentenced him to two years in prison for his comments made during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. His disqualification from the Lok Sabha was caused by the conviction in the case.
Rahul Gandhi’s conviction was not overturned by the Gujarat High Court in a judgement issued on July 7 because the Congressman’s comments “breached the modesty” and “moral turpitude”.
“It is a serious matter affecting a large segment of society and needs to be viewed by the court with the gravity and significance it commands…It is now the need of the hour to have purity in politics. Representatives of people should be men of the clear antecedent,” Justice Hemant P. Prachchhak observed while rejecting the petition seeking a stay on his conviction.
“Rahul Gandhi is seeking a stay on conviction on absolutely non-existent grounds,” the court added.
Following a criminal complaint from a BJP leader named Purnesh Modi, a Gujarati magisterial court first found Rahul Gandhi guilty in March. Notably, Purnesh Modi has already requested a hearing from the Supreme Court in the event that Rahul Gandhi challenges his conviction before the court.
Rahul Gandhi is involved in more than ten court proceedings as a result of comments he made against various people, including historical figures like Veer Savarkar.
