Surat/New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark, a setback for the Lok Sabha MP who faces disqualification.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, which found Gandhi, 52, guilty under IPC sections 499 and 500, also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal to a higher court. Gandhi could avoid immediate disqualification as a member of parliament if the appellate court suspends both the conviction and the two-year prison sentence.
Gandhi could have limited his remarks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya, Mehul Choksi, and Anil Ambani, but the court said in its 168-page order that he “intentionally” made a statement that hurt individuals bearing the Modi surname and thus committed criminal defamation. Gandhi was present in court when the verdict was read aloud.
