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New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s petition against the conviction in the Modi Surname Defamation Case has been rejected by the Surat Court. Additional Sessions Court Judge RP Mogera came to the court on Thursday and said only one word on this petition – ‘dismissed’. Judge Mogera had heard the arguments of both the parties on this matter on April 13 and reserved the decision.
Sources with direct knowledge of the matter told sources that Rahul Gandhi will now leave his government bungalow at 10 Tughlaq Lane on Saturday after the petition is rejected. His belongings have already been shifted to Sonia Gandhi’s official bungalow. Now Rahul will appeal in the High Court.
On March 23, Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years in a defamation case. The very next day i.e. on March 24, his Lok Sabha membership was also cancelled. After this, on March 27, he received a notice to vacate the government bungalow. The deadline to vacate the bungalow is 22 April.
The bungalow was allotted in 2005
According to an order of the Supreme Court, a convict sentenced to two years cannot remain as an MP or MLA. In such a case, on cancellation of membership, the government bungalow has to be vacated. Rahul Gandhi was living in the bungalow located at 10 Tughlaq Lane since 2005.
Modi surname statement was given in 2019
The defamation case pertains to Rahul’s statement at an election rally held in Kolar, Karnataka during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Rahul Gandhi had said in the rally- ‘Why is the surname of every thief Modi?’ Gujarat’s BJP MLA Purnesh Modi had filed a defamation case on this statement.
30 days to appeal
The Gujarat court had given Rahul Gandhi 30 days to file a further appeal against the sentence. Rahul appealed against the sentence and his petition was rejected in the Surat court. This means that Rahul cannot be reinstated as an MP now. According to the Congress, Rahul Gandhi will now appeal in the High Court.
Rahul Gandhi gave these arguments
During the hearing, Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer RS Cheema argued to Additional Sessions Court Judge RP Mogera that the defamation case was not justified. There was no need for maximum punishment in the case. He had said- ‘Power is an exception, but the court should consider the consequences of punishment. It should be considered whether the guilty will suffer more. It is injustice to get such punishment.
On the other hand, Purnesh Modi, who filed the defamation case, had said that Rahul Gandhi is used to making defamatory statements again and again.
