The sessions court at Surat on Thursday, March 23, suspended Rahul Gandhi’s sentence for 30 days so that he can appeal in a higher court. A Gujarat court held him guilty of criminal defamation for a statement he made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 while campaigning in Kolar. Rahul Gandhi had asked, “how come all the thieves have Modi as a common surname.” The complaint was filed by former Gujarat minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Purnesh Modi. The court initially sentenced him to two years imprisonment.
The court had offered Rahul Gandhi bail for a bond of Rs 10,000 and the suspension allows for the politician to appeal the sentence. The complainant had alleged that the statement was an insult to everybody with the Modi surname. Based on the complaint, a First Information report (FIR) was filed under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which deal with defamation, under which the maximum punishment is two years imprisonment.
Last week, the Delhi police issued notices to Rahul Gandhi asking him to reveal the identity of a sexual assault victim. During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi, in Srinagar, had said that a woman had told him that she had been raped but when he offered to take her to the police to file a complaint, she refused and said she would not be safe. The Delhi Police issued a notice 45 days after the statement and Gandhi has sent a four-page letter in response.