Gujarat HC Refuses To Stay Rahul Gandhi’s Conviction In Criminal Defamation Case

Pune 7th July 2023: The Gujarat High Court on Friday refused to grant stay on conviction and jail term to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case. The High Court in its order stated that the session court order is proper and there is no need to interfere with the said order.

It may be noted that the session court in Gujarat has convicted Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed by MLA Purnesh Modi. He was sentenced to two years of imprisonment by the session court and Rahul Gandhi had approached the High Court to challenge the order. The defamation case was filed over Rahul’s controversial remark against Modi. He had said “how come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?” during an election rally in Karnataka in 2019.

The High Court order will also impact the political career of Rahul Gandhi as he will now be banned from contesting elections or seek revocation of his suspension as Member of Parliament as per the rule. However, he still has an option to approach the Supreme Court to challenge the order.