The Gujarat High Court on Friday dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's plea to stay his conviction for criminal defamation in the Modi surname case. The high court observed there are at least 10 criminal cases pending against Gandhi while dismissing his plea.
"Even after the present case, some more cases filed against him. One such is filed by grandson of Veer Savarkar," Justice Hemant Prachchhak said while reading out the portion of the judgment.
"In any way, the conviction would not result in any injustice. It is just and proper. There is no need to interfere with the said order. Therefore, the application is dismissed," the judge added.
This means, Gandhi's disqualification as a Wayanad MP remains in effect.
Case against me politically motivated: Rahul Gandhi to HC
Justice Hemant Prachchhak on May 2 reserved his orders on Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction for criminal defamation and two-year jail term. In his plea, Gandhi alleged he was subject to an “unfair trial” in the Surat magistrate’s court and BJP leader Purnesh Modi’s criminal defamation complaint against him was “politically motivated”.
Modi’s criminal defamation complaint filed on April 15, 2019, was made in “hot haste” with a view to using the same for electoral purposes in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Gandhi was campaigning in Kolar, Karnataka on April 13 when, as part of his poll campaign for the then-upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he had said, “How come all these thieves have Modi as their common surname?”
The ex-Wayanad MP alleged he has been “treated harshly both on the merits of the controversy as well as at the stage of determination of sentence taking into account his position as a Member of Parliament”.