Rahul Gandhi, former Congress President, is set to appeal his two-year sentence in a defamation case at the Surat District Sessions Court on Monday, instead of the Gujarat High Court. A team of expert lawyers from Delhi will handle the case, and prominent leaders, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, will accompany Gandhi to Surat.
On March 23, 2023, Gandhi was found guilty in the Modi surname case by Surat's sessions court, which sentenced him to two years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000. Chief Judicial Magistrate H.H. Verma presided over the case, and Gandhi was granted bail at that time. Following the sentencing, Gandhi lost his MP membership, which sparked nationwide protests by the Congress party.
Gandhi's legal team has become active in addressing the case, and according to the law, he will proceed by appealing in the Sessions Court. Congress sources reveal that senior leaders, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, State President Jagdish Thakor, Raghu Sharma, Amit Chavda, and Bharat Singh Solanki, will be present during Gandhi's appeal in the Surat court.
The case originated from a comment Gandhi made on Modi's surname during an event. Purnesh Modi, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader and MLA from Surat West, objected to the statement and filed a complaint against Gandhi. The Surat court convicted him under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC.
