New Delhi: The Gujarat Sessions Court has rejected the petition seeking a stay on the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in the Modi surname case. The trial court had sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail in the defamation case.
A sessions court in Gujarat’s Surat had convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on ‘Modi’. Rahul Gandhi had filed an application in the Sessions Court to stay this decision.
Had the conviction and sentencing been stayed today, Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership could have been restored. The court of Additional Sessions Judge R P Mogera had reserved the verdict after hearing Rahul Gandhi’s plea last Thursday.
Reacting to the decision, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said, “We will continue to take advantage of all options available to us under the law.”
Rahul Gandhi won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad in Kerala. On March 23, a Surat court had convicted Gandhi and sentenced him to two years in jail in a criminal defamation case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Purnesh Modi. A day later, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha membership.
Rahul Gandhi had approached the sessions court on April 3 against the trial court’s order. His lawyers had also filed two applications. One was for a stay on the sentence and the other for a stay on conviction till the disposal of the appeal.