Rahul Gandhi gets bail in defamation case; BJP slams show of strength at court

New Delhi, April 3

A sessions court in Gujarat’s Surat city on Monday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after admitting his appeal against conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark in which he was given two years in jail.

Conviction plea: Next hearing on April 13

• The restoration of Rahul’s Lok Sabha membership depends on the outcome of his application challenging his conviction
• He will get the membership back even if the sentence is reduced to a period that is less than two years

The court posted to April 13 Rahul’s plea for stay on his conviction by the CJM court in Surat on March 23 in connection with the defamation case filed against him by Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi.

Against ‘Mitrakal’

This is a fight to save democracy… a fight against ‘Mitrakal’. In this struggle, truth is my weapon. Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader

Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after the conviction, was present in Additional Sessions Judge RP Mogera’s court, which granted him bail till the disposal of his appeal on a bond of Rs 15,000.

The court also issued a notice to complainant Purnesh Modi over the application for suspension of the conviction. It set April 13 for hearing the plea seeking the suspension of conviction and subsequent sentence.

“The sentence will remain suspended till the outcome of the appeal is decided,” Kirit C Panwala, counsel of Rahul Gandhi, told The Tribune over phone from Surat.

Panwala said they had filed one appeal memo with two applications in the sessions court. While one application was about suspension of the two-year sentence, the other challenged the conviction. The second application has been posted for hearing on April 13.

The court has asked for response from complainant Purnesh Modi and asked him to file an affidavit by April 10. “The state government too has been made a party in the case and asked to submit an affidavit,” Panwala said. Rahul need not be physically present when the case comes up for hearing on April 13. The Congress turned the filing of appeal into a show of strength with Chief Ministers of the Congress-ruled states landing in Surat to show solidarity with the Gandhi family scion.

While travelling to Surat this afternoon by a commercial flight, Rahul was accompanied by his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and other Congress leaders.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, senior leaders Tariq Anwar, Digvijay Singh, Pawan Khera were among those present on the court premises. After the court proceedings were over, Rahul flew back to Delhi.

The ruling BJP, meanwhile, slammed Rahul Gandhi for going to Surat accompanied by party brass and his sister and asked if this was an attempt to intimidate the judiciary.

“Rahul Gandhi has gone to Surat to file an appeal. It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an appeal. His going personally with a motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama,” Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said today.

The restoration of Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership depends on the outcome of his application challenging his conviction. He will get the membership back even if the sentence is reduced to a period that is less than two years.

Sources said the case on the issue of conviction was likely to be a time-consuming process.

The former president of the Congress party was disqualified from Parliament just the very next day after his conviction by the CJM court in Surat. The following day he was asked to vacate his official residence.