Surat court sentences two year prison term for Rahul in criminal defamation case, grants bail

New Delhi (India), March 23, 2023: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison in a criminal defamation case over his comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname by a court in Surat, Gujarat.

The verdict was delivered by a court in Gujarat’s Surat, but Gandhi was granted bail, and his sentence was suspended for 30 days to allow him to appeal the decision.

The case was filed by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi after Gandhi said, “How come all thieves have the common surname Modi?” during a rally in Karnataka before the 2019 national polls. Gandhi targeted PM Modi over his last name, which he shares with fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi.

After the verdict, Gandhi quoted Mahatma Gandhi on Twitter, stating that his religion was based on truth and non-violence.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also tweeted in support of her brother, saying that the “power of truth and the love of crores of countrymen” were with him. Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal disagreed with the verdict and accused the ruling BJP of trying to eliminate non-BJP leaders and parties by prosecuting them.

Gandhi appeared before the Surat court in October 2021 to record his statement, and his lawyer argued that the proceedings were flawed from the beginning. Senior Congress leader and MLA Arjun Modhwadia expressed confidence that Gandhi would emerge from the case, adding that “truth alone prevails.”

The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma concluded hearing final arguments last week before delivering the verdict. Supporters and members of the Congress turned out in Surat to show support for Gandhi, with posters calling him the “Lion of India” and declaring that Congress would not bow to the dictatorship of the BJP.