Breaking: Rahul Gandhi Convicted, Gets 2 Years Jail In ‘Modi Surname’ Case

In a major setback for the Congress party, its leader Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court on Thursday, March 23, 2023, for his defamatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign.

The court found him guilty of criminal defamation under section 500 of the Indian Penal Code and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on him, reports India Today.

The case was filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi, who claimed that Rahul Gandhi had insulted and maligned the entire Modi community by asking, “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka.

The complainant said that Rahul Gandhi’s statement was false, and malicious and intended to lower the reputation of PM Modi and his community.

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Rahul Gandhi pleaded not guilty and said he did not remember the precise words he had used during his speech. He also said his remark was sarcastic and aimed at exposing PM Modi’s corruption and cronyism. He argued that his speech was protected by his right to freedom of expression and that he had no intention to defame anyone.

However, the court rejected his arguments and said that his remark was prima facie defamatory and hurtful to the feelings of a large section of society. The court said that Rahul Gandhi had failed to prove any public interest or truth behind his statement and that he had abused his position as a public figure to malign PM Modi and his community.

The court granted Rahul Gandhi 30 days bail to appeal against its verdict in a higher court. The Congress party has expressed solidarity with Rahul Gandhi and condemned the court’s decision as politically motivated and an attack on democracy. The BJP has welcomed the verdict and said it is a lesson for those who make baseless allegations against PM Modi.

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