Surat: Rahul Gandhi on Monday secured bail from a sessions court here in the ‘Modi surname’ criminal defamation case.
The court had, on March 23, convicted and sentenced the Congress leader to two years in prison over his remark ‘Why do all thieves have Modi as their surname?’
The sentence was immediately suspended and Rahul granted bail to allow him time to lodge an appeal if he wished.
On Monday, Rahul travelled to the Surat court accompanied by sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and three chief ministers – Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh’s Bhupesh Baghel and Himachal Pradesh’s Sukvinder Singh Sukhu.
In a major relief to Rahul, who was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP after his conviction, the court extended his bail till April 13, which will be the next date of hearing, and continued to hold the sentence.
Watch a video clip of Rahul leaving the court with Priyanka, party leaders and lawyers, posted on Twitter by ANI:
#WATCH | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waves to the crowd as he leaves from District Court, Surat after filing an appeal against his conviction in the defamation case pic.twitter.com/0BmWTMAW0k
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2023
“We are confident the appeals court will appreciate blatant errors of the trial court and do justice expeditiously,” Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Singhvi, the Congress leader heading Rahul’s legal team, said before the court’s ruling.
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