Defamation case: Surat court dismisses Rahul Gandhi's plea for stay on conviction

NEW DELHI: In a huge setback for Rahul Gandhi, a Surat court on Thursday dismissed his plea seeking a stay on conviction in the criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark.
A stay on conviction by the sessions court could have paved the way for Rahul's reinstatement as Member of Parliament (MP). In March, the former Congress president was sentenced to two years in jail in the defamation case.
On April 3, the Surat sessions court granted bail to the Congress leader, who had filed an appeal following his conviction in the case.

While granting bail to the former MP, the court also issued notices to complainant Purnesh Modi and the state government on the Congress leader's plea for a stay on his conviction. It heard both parties and then reserved the order for April 20.

Rahul Gandhi was a Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad but was disqualified after a lower court in Surat sentenced him to two years in jail on March 23. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad in Kerala in 2019.
The case pertained to a remark Rahul Gandhi made using the surname 'Modi' while addressing a campaign event ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
At a rally in Karnataka's Kolar in April 2019, Rahul, in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?"
Watch Rahul Gandhi gets no relief from Surat court in defamation case