Supreme Court stays Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in Modi defamation case

New Delhi: In an interim order, the Supreme Court stayed the conviction of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case related to his ‘Modi surname’ remark. The apex court emphasized that while such utterances may not be in good taste, public figures are expected to exercise caution while making public speeches.

The Supreme Court acknowledged, “As observed by this court while accepting his affidavit in the contempt petition, he (Rahul Gandhi) ought to have been more careful.”

During the hearing, Rahul Gandhi informed the court that the original surname of former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi, who filed the defamation case against him, is not Modi, and he belongs to the Modh Vanika Samaj.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Rahul Gandhi, highlighted that his client is not a hardened criminal and has no conviction in any case, despite facing several cases filed against him by BJP workers.

The plea challenging the Gujarat High Court verdict, which dismissed Gandhi’s request for a stay on his conviction in the defamation case over his ”Modi surname” remark, was being heard by a three-judge bench comprising Justices B R Gavai, P S Narasimha, and Sanjay Kumar.

Purnesh Modi had filed the criminal defamation case in 2019 against Rahul Gandhi for his remark, ”How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?” made during an election rally in Kolar, Karnataka, on April 13, 2019.