The ‘Modi Surname’ Controversy Continues: SC Grills Both Sides In Defamation Case
New Delhi, 4th August 2023: Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi presented arguments in the Supreme Court on behalf of Rahul Gandhi, the senior Congress leader. The discussion centred around the comments made by Rahul Gandhi. “Modi” surname does not constitute an offence against society, comparing it to serious crimes like rape or murder. Singhvi emphasized that this is the first time that 30 crore people have been considered an identifiable class and that communities, castes, and groups with the surname “Modi” are distinct and not homogenous.
In response to Singhvi’s argument, the Supreme Court requested further clarification to consider granting a stay on conviction. Another senior advocate, Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the complainant, Purnesh Modi, read Rahul Gandhi’s remark in court and asserted that the intention behind the comment was to defame everyone with the surname “Modi” simply because it is shared by the prime minister, thus defaming an entire class out of malice.
Rahul Gandhi himself informed the Supreme Court that the original surname of former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi, who filed the defamation case against him, is not Modi, but he belongs to the Modh Vanika Samaj.
Singhvi assured the three-judge bench of Justices B R Gavai, P S Narasimha, and Sanjay Kumar that his client, Rahul Gandhi, is not a hardened criminal, and despite facing several cases filed by BJP workers, he has no convictions in any of them.
Currently, the Supreme Court is in the process of hearing Rahul Gandhi’s plea that challenges the verdict of the Gujarat High Court.
Previously, the High Court had dismissed his request for a stay on his conviction in the defamation case concerning his “Modi surname” comment.
The criminal defamation case was filed by Purnesh Modi in 2019 against Rahul Gandhi for his statement made during an election rally in Kolar, Karnataka, on April 13, 2019, where he questioned, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?”
