Congress leader Rahul Gandhi gets 2 years in jail in 'Modi surname' remark case
Synopsis
According to reports, the case was filed against Rahul Gandhi for his alleged "how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remarks on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi.
A Surat court on Thursday (March 23) held Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi guilty in a 2019 defamation case for his alleged 'Modi surname' remark during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign. The court has also announced a 2-year jail term as quantum of punishment.
The Wayanad MP reached Surat this morning after the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma had concluded hearing final arguments from both sides last week and set March 23 to pronounce the judgment in the four-year-old defamation case.
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According to reports, the case was filed against Rahul Gandhi for his alleged "how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remarks on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi.
The Wayanad MP made the alleged remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
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In his complaint, the BJP MLA alleged that Gandhi while addressing the poll rally in 2019, defamed the entire Modi community by purportedly saying, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" Modi was a minister in the first tenure of the Bhupendra Patel government.
A case was registered against the Congress leader under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (dealing with defamation).
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