Surat Court Extends Rahul Gandhi's Bail In Defamation Case, Next Hearing On 13 April

On Monday, the Surat sessions court granted bail extension to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and scheduled his next hearing for April 13, in connection to a 2019 criminal defamation case.

In his latest plea, Gandhi requested that the court overturn the magistrate's ruling that convicted him of defamation, and also asked for a temporary suspension of the conviction until the matter is resolved.

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

The case was filed against Gandhi for his "How come all thieves have Modi surname?” remarks on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. 

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

The appeal seeking a stay on conviction was “supervised, controlled and advised” by Congress' Rajya Sabha MP and senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi and filed by senior lawyer R S Cheema.

The appeal was in response to the 23 March order from Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Verma, which found Gandhi guilty in the 2019 defamation case over his remarks.

The Election Commission (EC) is currently waiting for the 30-day period granted by the court before making a decision on the vacant Wayanad constituency, which was previously held by Gandhi.

Also Read: Claim Vs Reality: Rahul Gandhi's History Of 'Saying Sorry'