Victory of people, judiciary: BJP on court rejecting Rahul’s plea in criminal defamation case

PTI, Apr 20, 2023, 12:56 PM IST

The BJP Thursday hailed the Surat court’s decision to reject Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea for a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case as a ”victory” of the judiciary and the people.

Hitting out at the Congress, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, ”The court’s decision is a slap on the arrogance of the Gandhi family, especially Rahul Gandhi.” It also proves that law is equal for everyone, he said at a press conference here.

A court in Gujarat’s Surat city on Thursday rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s application for a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his ”Modi surname” remark. The court of additional sessions judge R P Mogera rejected Gandhi’s application for a stay on conviction which, if allowed, could have paved the way for his reinstatement as the Member of Parliament.

The 52-year-old Congress leader was elected to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad in Kerala in 2019 but was disqualified a day after the lower court last month sentenced him to two years in jail in the case filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi.