Narendra Modi Defamation: Surat court dismisses Rahul Gandhi's plea for suspension of conviction

The  sessions court in Gujarat’s Surat city today dismissed  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea for a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname" remark. A lower court sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years' imprisonment in the case following which he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha.

Opposing Rahul Gandhi's stay plea, Purnesh Modi said Rahul Gandhi is a repeat offender who makes defamatory statements. Commenting on how Rahul Gandhi submitted his plea against the conviction with a band of Congress leaders, Purnesh Modi said it was very "dirty display of childish arrogance and an immature acy of bringing pressure upon the court" 

For the unversed, in 2019, addressing a rally in Karnataka's Kolar, Rahul Gandhi wondered why 'all thieves have Modi surname in common'. Gujarat's BJP leader Purnesh Modi filed a complaint and Rahul Gandhi was convicted in 2023. The Congress cried political vendetta behind this as they said the conviction took place soon after Rahul Gandhi raised the Adani question in Parliament. The conviction and the subsequent disqualification from the Lok Sabha.