Rahul Gandhi to appeal against conviction, jail term order of Surat court

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Monday file an appeal in the Sessions court in Gujarat’s Surat against his conviction and a two-year jail sentence in a criminal defamation case.

The Congress leader will move the Sessions court today and the party expects that court will take up the matter today itself. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi is expected to reach court at around 3:00 pm.

The former MP from Wayanad was convicted and sentenced to two years in hail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma on 23 March in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark in 2019 in Karnataka.

According to sources, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi will accompany the former MP to court.

Besides Priyanka, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel along with Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi are likely to accompany Rahul Gandhi. Also, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole and CLP leader Balasaheb Thorat are expected to join the group.

The defamation case was filed against Gandhi by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi for saying “How come all thieves have the common surname Modi?”

After the Surat court’s verdict, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Lok Sabha following his conviction in the case.

Congress has protested aggressively against Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification inside the Parliament as well as outside it. Congress along with other opposition parties had held a ‘black dress’ protest against the government over Rahul Gandhi and Adani issue. They had marched from the Parliament complex towards Vijay Chowk together in an attempt to show unity.

Rahul Gandhi also received an eviction notice from the Lok Sabha secretariat, to which he said that he would abide by the notice.

Congress MPs will hold a meeting at 10.30 am in the Congress Parliamentary Party office to chalk out strategy for the day. The party MPs have been asked to wear black clothes during the meeting.

After the disqualification of Rahul’s membership from the Lok Sabha, the Congress has been vocal in protests all over the country. The grand old party has been making an effort to rally like-minded Opposition players around it in the wake of Rahul’s loss of membership from the Lower House.