In a huge setback for Rahul Gandhi, the conviction by the Surat court has been upheld by the Gujarat High Court in the Modi surname case. Rahul had said that “Why are all the people with Modi surname thieves” and subsequently the Surat court convicted him and he was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP. He had challenged his conviction but got no relief from the Gujarat HC as a result of which Rahul Gandhi will stay disqualified as an MP of Wynand.
Now Rahul Gandhi will have to go to the Supreme Court to seek relief in the case.
Earlier, Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi was on March 22 disqualified from the Lok Sabha. His disqualification came following his conviction in the criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” as remarked by a Surat court.
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A notification issued by Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh announced the disqualification for publication in the Gazette of India Extraordinary Part II on Friday itself and informed all concerned Government and Parliamentary offices about it.
The notification said: “Consequent upon his conviction by the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Surat in C.C./18712/2019, Shri Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 23 March, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102(1)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.”
The Surat court on Thursday sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years imprisonment in the defamation case over his “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname” remark made in April, 2019 during a Lok Sabha election rally in Kolar, Karnataka.
The criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi was filed by BJP MLA from Surat-West Purnesh Modi.
