New Delhi: A Surat court on Monday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and suspended his two-year sentence till it hears his appeal challenging a defamation conviction that resulted in his expulsion from Parliament.
The Surat District and Sessions Court granted bail to Rahul against a surety of Rs 15,000. The court will next hear on 13 April the former Congress chief’s application seeking a stay of his conviction in the “Modi” surname case.
Rahul was accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and three Congress chief ministers Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as he filed his plea.
VIDEO | Rahul Gandhi, along with sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and a battery of Congress leaders, arrives at Surat Sessions Court to file an appeal against his conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case. pic.twitter.com/80SJdntiUQ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 3, 2023
On 23 March, a magistrate’s court had handed the Congress leader a two-year jail term that led to his disqualification from Parliament. While convicting Rahul for a derogatory comment he made on the “Modi” surname in 2019, the judge had also granted him 30 days to appeal in a higher court.
Rahul appealed on Monday for the 23 March order to be set aside, and asked for a stay on his conviction. This will then restore his Lok Sabha membership from Wayanad, which will otherwise go to polls.
After the hearing Monday, Rahul’s lawyer Rohan Panwala said: “Today, we filed an appeal against Rahul Gandhi’s sentence and conviction. The stay application regarding the sentencing was heard. The bail application was heard. He was granted bail by the honourable court. And the sentencing was stayed. Now, the application for the stay of the conviction remains, which is next posted for 13 April.”
Panwala also said Rahul need not be present in court during the next hearing.
VIDEO | "He (Rahul Gandhi) was granted bail by the honourable court. The sentencing was stayed (In 2019 defamation case). Now, the application for the stay of conviction is posted for hearing on April 13," says advocate Rohan Panwala. pic.twitter.com/pzOJxJHPJ0
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 3, 2023
The Congress leader later tweeted that this was a fight to save democracy against ‘Mitrakal’. “In this struggle, truth is my weapon and my support,” the former Congress chief tweeted in hindi.
ये ‘मित्रकाल’ के विरुद्ध, लोकतंत्र को बचाने की लड़ाई है।
इस संघर्ष में, सत्य मेरा अस्त्र है, और सत्य ही मेरा आसरा! pic.twitter.com/SYxC8yfc1M
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 3, 2023
The defamation case was filed against Rahul by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi after the Congress leader said in an election rally: “How come all thieves have the common surname Modi?”
Meanwhile, the BJP has questioned whether Rahul’s personal presence was necessary in court to file an appeal, deriding it as an attempt to pressure the judiciary.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju termed Rahul’s in-person visit a “childish attempt to bring pressure on the appellate court”.
He tweeted: “Rahul Gandhi might be going to Surat to file an Appeal. It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an Appeal. Generally, no convict goes personally. His going personally with a motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama… What Rahul Gandhi is doing is also a childish attempt to bring pressure on the appellate court. All courts in the country are immune from such tactics.”
Central minister Anurag Thakur pointed out that no one had accompanied party leaders P.V. Narasimha Rao, P. Chidambaram and D.K. Shivakumar when they were sentenced to jail. “But today… chief ministers have left their work to do this (accompany Rahul to court). Has one family become bigger than the Constitution, the Parliament, the country?” he asked
Meanwhile, Congress’ Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu — who was with Rahul in the Surat court — refuted Kiren Rijiju’s comments. He said it was wrong to think that anyone could pressure the judiciary.
“Congress is the main Opposition party. And Rahul is its biggest leader. There is no harm in going with him. This is not a drama. The law will do its job. We will stand with Rahul. Just like family members do. Congress is like a family.”
Also read: How foreign governments & journalists have reacted to Rahul Gandhi disqualification row