Rahul Gandhi, an Indian politician and Congress MP, was sentenced to two years in jail by the court in Surat on Thursday. The declaration of two years jail comes to light in the criminal defamation case over his Modi surname remark.
After the declaration of jail, Rahul Gandhi was granted bail for one month, and the court allowed him to appeal the decision.
Why the case filed against this influential leader?
The case was filed against the influential political leader and former chief of Congress Rahul Gandhi for a speech he made at a rally in Karnataka’s Kolar in 2019.
“How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?”
Rahul Gandhi said on that rally ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Purnesh Modi, a BJP MLA and former minister in Gujarat, was dissatisfied with the comment regarding the Modi surname. He alleged that the remark defamed the entire Modi community. As a result, Purnesh Modi filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi, and a case was registered against the Wayanad MP under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with defamation.
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During the hearing of the case, Rahul Gandhi made three appearances in the Surat court. The former Congress chief’s last appearance was in October 2021. The court recorded all of his statements, and he pleaded not guilty on that day. In February 2023, the final arguments in the defamation case resumed after the Gujarat High Court lifted the interim stay it had imposed in March 2022. The stay was lifted following the complainant’s plea for the personal appearance of Rahul Gandhi.
Last Friday, after hearing the final arguments from both sides, the court was called off by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, HH Varma. At the same time, the court set the date to declare the judgment as March 23.
Who is Rahul Gandhi?
Rahul Gandhi was born on June 19, 1970, in New Delhi, India. He completed his education at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He joined politics in 2004 and was elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) from the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh. He went on to earn a degree in International Relations from Rollins College in the United States. After his studies, he worked in London for a brief period before returning to India to enter politics.
He joined politics in 2004 and was elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) from the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Over the years, Rahul Gandhi has held several positions in the Indian National Congress, including the General Secretary and Vice-President. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the president of the Indian National Congress, succeeding her mother, Sonia Gandhi.
He currently holds a seat in the Indian Parliament as a representative of the Wayanad constituency in Kerala. Additionally, Gandhi holds positions as the chairperson of the Indian Youth Congress, the National Students Union of India, and is a trustee of both the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust.
Rahul Gandhi is known for his activism and advocacy on various issues such as corruption, farmer welfare, and women’s rights. He has also been vocal in his criticism of the policies and actions of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India.
