'All Thieves Have Modi Surname' Controversy: Rahul Gandhi To Face Patna Court Today, Surat Court Tomorrow

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to appear before a court in Patna on Wednesday, 12 April, in a defamation case.

The case was filed against Gandhi for his "How come all thieves have Modi surname?” remarks on a complaint filed by BJP MLA Sushil Modi, a former deputy chief minister of Bihar.

This is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has been embroiled in a legal battle related to his comments. Last month, he was convicted by a court in Gujarat for his statements. The case was filed by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi, who accused Gandhi of humiliating the entire Modi community with his remarks.

Rahul Gandhi made the remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress leader was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail in the case on 23 March but was later granted bail by the court.

As a result of the conviction, Gandhi was stripped of his Lok Sabha membership and asked to vacate his government bungalow. He was also declared ineligible to vote for the next eight years, unless his sentence is overturned by a higher court.

Gandhi has written a letter to the Lok Sabha secretariat's deputy secretary, stating that he will abide by the notice's details. Meanwhile, he is scheduled to appear before the Gujarat District and Sessions Court on 13 April, where the court will hear his bail plea in the case.

On 3 May, Rahul Gandhi will again appear before the court, which will decide if the charges against him are maintainable.

The Congress leader has been facing a series of legal challenges related to his comments, and it remains to be seen how these cases will play out in the coming weeks.