On July 21 SC to Hear Rahul Gandhi’s Plea Against Gujarat HC Decision in Defamation Case

New Delhi: On July 21, the Supreme Court will hear Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s petition challenging the Gujarat High Court’s order refusing to stay his conviction in the ‘Modi surname defamation case’.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Tuesday agreed to take up Rahul Gandhi’s petition against the Gujarat High Court’s July 7 verdict. Appearing for the Congress leader, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned it for urgent listing.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Gujarat High Court’s verdict.

Through this plea in the apex court, the Congress leader challenged the decision of the Gujarat High Court not to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark, which led to his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP.

On March 23, a Surat court sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail after convicting him under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (criminal defamation) in a 2019 case filed by Purnesh Modi. This defamation case filed by the BJP MLA was related to Rahul Gandhi’s statement “how come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?” during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.

Following conviction, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament on March 24, 2023.

A stay on Rahul Gandhi’s conviction could pave the way for his reinstatement as a Lok Sabha MP. But the Gujarat High Court refused to give this stay order.