On April 3, Surat Court extended bail granted to Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case till April 13. The next hearing date has been set for May 3. Gandhi reached Surat to appeal against the conviction in a 2019 defamation case in which he was sentenced to two years leading to his disqualification from Lok Sabha. The court has paused the two-year sentence.
Rahul Gandhi defamation case: Surat court extends his bail till April 13, next hearing on May 3
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) April 3, 2023
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#RahulGandhi #RahulGandhiDisqualified #Surat pic.twitter.com/sFiN6v1nkX
After coming out of the court, he waved at the crowd as an attempt to show bail extension as a big victory.
#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
Notably, along with Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi, three Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, senior Congress leaders, and workers went to the court premises. Usually, the convict is not required to appear in court to file an appeal, but Gandhi wanted to flex muscle to show how “powerful” his party was.
Congress workers gathered to Protest outside Surat session court. pic.twitter.com/eb9vmTWqQ3
— Shantanu (@shaandelhite) April 3, 2023
Congress workers across the country staged a protest against his conviction. Congress workers were seen holding placards outside Surat court protesting his conviction and disqualification.
The Bharatiya Janata Party came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi for accompanying his family and party leaders to file an appeal in the appellate court in Surat against his conviction by a magistrate court in the 2019 criminal defamation case. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra held a press conference earlier today to lash out at Rahul Gandhi and alleged that the Congress leader is going with his family and some chief ministers “with pomp and show” to “repeat and add to the insult” of the OBC community.
“Rahul Gandhi, is it not true that you used a casteist remark against the OBC community? You called them a thief and abused them. You are going to Surat with your family, and some chief ministers with pomp and show. Do you want to pressurise the judiciary? Appealing is a democratic right. You are going to augment the insult that you have thrown to the OBC community by going and staging this kind of protest in Surat. Are you trying to pressurise the Indian judiciary through these gimmicks of yours?” Patra said.
“The lower court had given him (Rahul Gandhi) the opportunity to apologise, but he denied stating that he is Rahul and will not apologise. Rahul and responsibility never go together. Why is this arrogance? The Supreme Court had pulled him up for his remarks over Narendra Modi. He wasn’t ready to apologise in Supreme Court, but the court made him apologise in written in the form of affidavit,” Patra had further said.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju alleged that the Congress party is doing drama to “threaten the judiciary”. In a tweet, he said, Rahul Gandhi might be going to Surat to file an appeal. It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an appeal. Generally, no convict goes personally. His going personally with a motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama.
Rahul Gandhi’s conviction
Gandhi was convicted by a Surat Court and sentenced to 2 years in prison in a 2019 defamation case. Gandhi’s conviction led to an automatic disqualification from Lok Sabha as per the regulations. His disqualification has been used by Gandhi and Congress leaders to attack Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming “democracy is in danger” and “Modi is suppressing the voice of opposition”. In 2019, Rahul Gandhi abused the OBC community by questioning “why all thieves have a common surname, Modi”. Irked by his comments, a defamation case was filed. Surat Court found him guilty and sentenced him to two years. He had 30 days to appeal against the sentencing.
