Surat, Mar 23: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been held guilty by a court in Surat and sentenced for 2 years of imprisonment in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his alleged 'Modi surname' remarks.

 

 

 

 

The Surat District Court pronounced the verdict in the case for his alleged "how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remarks on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. Gandhi was earlier granted bail in the matter by the trial court and the sentence would remain suspended for the time being to enable him to file appeal.

 

 

 

 

 

Gandhi had made the alleged remarks about Modi's surname at a rally in Karnataka's Kolar, ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He had said, "Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi. How come all the thieves have 'Modi' as a common surname?" Last week, the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma concluded hearing final arguments from both sides and set Mar 23 to pronounce its judgment in the four-year-old defamation case.

 

 

The petitioner, Purnesh Modi moved the Court claiming that by this statement, Gandhi defamed all the persons with 'Modi' surname. He, therefore, filed a defamation suit against the Congress leader. The Gujarat High Court recently vacated the stay on the trial in the case pursuant to which the trial resumed.

 

 

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