Gujarat HC Rejects Rahul’s Plea, Upholds Defamation Conviction: No Stay on Verdict
The Gujarat High Court has upheld the session’s court order denying stay on the conviction of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case over his Modi surname remark. Justice Hemant Prachchhak dismissed the plea, stating that Gandhi is already facing multiple cases across India, and the lower court’s decision to convict him was “just, proper, and legal.” The HC found no reasonable grounds for a stay on the conviction, which means Gandhi cannot contest elections or seek reinstatement as an MP.
However, sources close to Gandhi revealed that he plans to appeal against the High Court order in the Supreme Court. In the original case, Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat metropolitan magistrate’s court on charges of criminal defamation filed by BJP Gujarat MLA Purnesh Modi. The remark in question was made during an election rally in Karnataka in 2019, where Gandhi questioned the prevalence of the Modi surname among thieves.
Despite Gandhi’s lawyer arguing that the punishment could result in the permanent loss of his Lok Sabha seat, the courts have thus far refused to grant any interim relief or stay the conviction. Consequently, Gandhi was disqualified as an MP and had sought a stay on the conviction from the sessions court, which was also denied. Now, with the Gujarat HC upholding the conviction, Gandhi’s only recourse is to pursue the matter in the Supreme Court.
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