A Gujarat court granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday and put on hold his two-year jail sentence in a defamation case over his remark about the Modi surname.
The stay on his sentence is in effect until a decision on his appeal against the conviction is made. The court will take up his appeal on April 13.
On March 23, a Surat court had held Gandhi guilty in the case over his remark about the Modi surname at a political rally in Kolar, Karnataka, in 2019. Gandhi was disqualified as an MP from the Lok Sabha and subsequently asked to vacate his official residence.
Gandhi had filed an appeal, seeking an interim stay on his conviction. The court granted him bail for 30 days to appeal the verdict and asked the complainant to file his response by April 10.
The court has, however, not stayed his conviction. Gandhi need not appear in court for the next hearing. A notice has also been issued to the complainant, BJP MLA Purnesh Modi, who filed the case over Gandhi's remark, "Why all thieves have the Modi surname", in an inference to Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi.
Rahul Gandhi at Surat airport. (Photo source: Congress/Twitter)
"This is a fight to save democracy, against 'Mitrakal'," Gandhi posted on Twitter after the relief. "In this struggle, truth is my weapon, and truth is my refuge!"
In Surat, Gandhi was accompanied by his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and other Congress leaders. Rahul Gandhi had also met his mother, Sonia Gandhi, on Sunday before his court appearance.
The Bharatiya Janata Party called Rahul Gandhi's visit to Surat with his supporters a "juvenile attempt" to pressurise the judiciary.
"It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an appeal," Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted. "Generally, no convict goes personally."
Rijiju said Rahul Gandhi's visit to the court with a "motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama." "What Rahul Gandhi is doing is also a childish attempt to bring pressure on the appellate court," he said. "All courts in the country are immune from such tactics."
“सूरमा नहीं विचलित होते,
क्षण एक नहीं धीरज खोते,
विघ्नों को गले लगाते हैं,
काँटों में राह बनाते हैं।” https://t.co/O5S0y6gEMzThe Congress said the presence of the party leaders in Surat was a "symbol of support" for Rahul Gandhi.
"It's not a show of strength. He is fighting for the country. They are going with him to support him in his fight," Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said.
The Congress also alleged that its workers were stopped from entering Surat. "There are continuous reports of illegal arrests by the BJP government of Gujarat to prevent Congress leaders and workers from going to Surat," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
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