Modi surname case: Patna court asks Rahul Gandhi to appear before it on April 25
By Team Newsable | First Published Apr 12, 2023, 6:00 PM ISTDuring the hearing, the defence counsel sought another date on Wednesday stating that the entire team was busy with the Surat case, in which Gandhi was sentenced to two years in prison and disqualified from the Lok Sabha.
Patna court has asked Congress leader and disqualified Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi to appear before it on April 25 in a defamation case filed over his purported remark on Modi surname. Special Judicial Magistrate Aadi Dev of the MP/MLA court had passed an order on March 18 asking Gandhi to appear before it on April 12.
The defamation case has been lodged in the MP/MLA court by BJP's Rajya Sabha MP and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
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During the hearing, the defence counsel sought another date on Wednesday stating that the entire team was busy with the Surat case, in which Gandhi was sentenced to two years in prison and disqualified from the Lok Sabha.
To this, the judge asked Gandhi's counsel to ensure his physical appearance before the court on the next date of hearing in the case on April 25.
Prosecution lawyer Priya Gupta told the media that the statement from the complainant's side has been recorded and all evidence submitted to the court and now only the statement of Gandhi is to be recorded.
This is the second case involving the Congress leader for his 'Modi surname' remark made during the 2019 poll campaigning in Karnataka.
A Surat court had earlier found the Congress leader guilty in the criminal defamation case filed by BJP leader Purnesh Modi. Rahul was given a sentence of two years of imprisonment but later secured bail which was later extended. Following the punishment, he was disqualified as an MP from Lok Sabha.
Purnesh Modi, the complainant, argued against Rahul Gandhi's request for a stay of judgement in the case before a Surat court, calling the Congressman a "repeat offender" who frequently makes false claims.
Gandhi's appearance to submit his appeal against the magistrate's order sentencing him to two years in prison displayed "extraordinary arrogance" and "a very dirty display of childish arrogance and an immature act of bringing pressure upon the court," Modi's reply said, referring to the Congress's display of force outside the court.
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