Big blow to Rahul Gandhi! Gujarat HC refuses to stay conviction in defamation case

The Gujarat High Court on Friday dismissed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s plea searching for a stay on his conviction in a prison defamation case over his Modi surname comment. The Gujarat HC upheld the order of a Sessions Court, denying stay on Gandhi’s conviction in the defamation case.

The Gujarat HC verdict offers an enormous blow to Rahul Gandhi. It mentioned that the Trial Court conviction order is correct, there was no want to intrude with it. Dismissing the applying, the court docket additional famous that at the very least 10 prison instances are pending towards Rahul Gandhi.

A stay on conviction would have paved the best way for Gandhi’s reinstatement as Member of Parliament (MP). However, the Congress chief will be unable to contest elections or search revocation of the suspension of his standing as an MP. Gandhi can attraction the High Court order in the Supreme Court.

A Surat court docket had sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail on March 23. The court docket had convicted the previous Congress chief below Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (prison defamation) in a 2019 case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Purnesh Modi. Gandhi was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP from Kerala’s Wayanad following the conviction. 

(Inputs from ANI, PTI)