Rahul Gandhi to appeal against conviction, jail term order of Surat court

Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, will appeal his conviction and two-year prison sentence in a criminal defamation case before Gujarat’s Surat Sessions Court on Monday.

The Congress leader will file a motion with the Sessions Court today, and the party anticipates that the court will hear the case today. Rahul Gandhi is likely to be in court about 3 p.m., according to reports. The former Wayanad MP was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail by Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma on March 23 in a defamation case in Karnataka over his ‘Modi surname’ statement in 2019.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi is expected to accompany the former MP to court, according to reports.

Together with Priyanka, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi are expected to accompany Rahul Gandhi. Others anticipated to join the group are Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole and CLP leader Balasaheb Thorat.

Purnesh Modi, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister, brought a defamation complaint against Gandhi for questioning, “How come all thieves share the common surname Modi?”
After the Surat court’s decision, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha Member following his conviction in the case.