No Relief Yet For Rahul Gandhi In ‘Modi Surname’ Case As Surat Court Rejects Stay On Conviction Plea

Surat: A sessions court here on Thursday dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea for a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his ‘all thieves have Modi surname’ remark in 2019 at an election rally in Karnataka.

Rahul was sentenced to two years in prison in the case, which lead to his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP. A stay on conviction could have paved the way for his return as a Lok Sabha MP, 28 days after he was disqualified by the Speaker over his conviction in the case.

The court of additional sessions judge R P Mogera, however, rejected his application filed for a relief pending his appeal against the lower court’s order. His lawyers had filed two applications, one for a stay on the sentence (or bail till the disposal of his appeal) and another for stay on conviction till the disposal of his appeal.

The former Congress president is set to move Gujarat High Court on Friday, reports said.

(With inputs from ANI & PTI)