A Sessions court in Gujarat’s Surat will today hear Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over the 2019 “Modi surname” remark.

The Sessions court will hear arguments from Rahul Gandhi’s counsel as well as the prosecution and decide whether to stay the former Wayanad MP’s conviction in the case that led to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

Congress cadres have been vehemently backing former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after he was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Gujarat’s Surat city on March 23.

The disqualification which will prevent 52-year-old Gandhi, a four-time MP, from contesting elections for eight years unless a higher court stays the conviction, has kicked up a political storm with the Congress staging a countrywide satyagraha last month to protest the decision.

Last week, a Chhattisgarh Congress leader termed the Gandhi scion as a modern-day version of Mahatma Gandhi as he drew parallels between the former Wayanad MP and the father of the nation who orchestrated India’s independence from the British Rule.

Read Also: Karnataka elections: BJP Minister Angara S quits politics after being denied ticket

Yesterday, a court in Bihar’s Patna has summoned the Congress scion to appear before it on April 25 in connection with a defamation suit filed over the same alleged comments on the Modi surname.

The defamation suit has been filed in the MP/MLA court in the Bihar capital by former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi against Rahul Gandhi over his 2019 Modi surname remarks.

On March 18, the MP/MLA court of Special Judicial Magistrate Aadi Dev, had passed an order, asking the former Wayanad MP to appear before it on April 12, however, Gandhi’s counsel on Wednesday sought another date for the hearing saying that the Congress leader’s entire legal team was currently busy with the Surat case, where he was convicted and sentenced to two-years imprisonment that led to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

The special court judge agreed to Gandhi’s counsel but asked them to ensure that Rahul Gandhi is physically present in the court on the next date of hearing on April 25.

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Karnataka BJP Minister and six-time MLA Angara S on Wednesday announced his retirement from active politics after he was denied a ticket by the party for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Angara S, an MLA from Sullia in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, was denied a ticket to contest from the same constituency with the BJP announcing a Scheduled Castes candidate Bhagirathi Murulya in his stead.

On April 11, the BJP announced its first list of 189 candidates for the Karnataka elections followed by a second list of 23 candidates on April 12. Angara was not named in either list.

Responding to the party denying him a ticket for the upcoming polls, Angara said he was shocked and claimed that that his honesty became his undoing.

The Minister said he was retiring from active politics effective immediately and also will not campaign for the BJP in the upcoming elections.

Read Also: BJP announces list of candidates for Punjab, Odisha bypolls

Talking to newsmen, Angara said he was never much for lobbying and is quitting politics and the party can take care of the new candidate themselves as he will not campaign in the Karnataka Assembly elections.

The BJP announced as many as 52 fresh faces in the party first list of candidates which includes 32 candidates from the OBC community and 30 from the Scheduled Caste community.

The saffron party in its second list of candidates replaced as many as 7 sitting MLAs, including Angara S, however, the party has yet to announce its list of candidates for 12 constituencies including that of Hubli Dharwad Central, Krishnaraja, Shivamogga, Mahadevpura etc.

Nagaraja Chabbi, who joined the BJP after quitting the Congress, will contest on the party’s ticket from Kalghatgi constituency, while ex-MLA Y Sampangi’s daughter Ashwini Sampangi has been fielded by the party from the Kolar gold fields (KGF).

Assembly Elections in Karnataka will be held in a single phase on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.

Bihar court summons Rahul Gandhi in defamation suit over Modi surname remark

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Fresh off the heels of his conviction and two-year sentence by a Surat court in a criminal defamation suit over the 2019 Modi surname remark, now, a court in Bihar’s Patna has summoned Congress scion Rahul Gandhi to appear on April 25 in connection with a defamation suit filed over the same alleged comments on the Modi surname.

The defamation suit has been filed in the MP/MLA court in the Bihar capital by former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi against Rahul Gandhi over his 2019 Modi surname remarks.

On March 18, the MP/MLA court of Special Judicial Magistrate Aadi Dev, had passed an order, asking the former Wayanad MP to appear before it on April 12, however, Gandhi’s counsel on Wednesday sought another date for the hearing saying that the Congress leader’s entire legal team was currently busy with the Surat case, where he was convicted and sentenced to two-years imprisonment that led to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

Read Also: PM Modi thanks Rajasthan CM Gehlot at Vande Bharat launch event, talked about state’s political crisis

The special court judge agreed to Gandhi’s counsel but asked them to ensure that Rahul Gandhi is physically present in the court on the next date of hearing on April 25.

Talking to newsmen, prosecution lawyer Priya Gupta said that the complainant’s side has recorded statements and submitted all evidence to the court and only Gandhi’s statement remains to be recorded.

Congress cadres have been vehemently backing former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after he was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Gujarat’s Surat city on March 23.

The disqualification which will prevent 52-year-old Gandhi, a four-time MP, from contesting elections for eight years unless a higher court stays the conviction, has kicked up a political storm with the Congress staging a countrywide satyagraha last month to protest the decision.

Last week, a Chhattisgarh Congress leader termed the Gandhi scion as a modern-day version of Mahatma Gandhi as he drew parallels between the former Wayanad MP and the father of the nation who orchestrated India’s independence from the British Rule.

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