E-Paper
‘BJP's conspiracy exposed': Kharge after SC stays Rahul Gandhi's conviction in Modi surname defamation case
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed Rahul Gandhi's conviction in the 2019 ‘Modi surname’ defamation case and restored his status as a member of Parliament.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Supreme Court's decision to stay Rahul Gandhi's conviction in the ‘Modi surname’ defamation case, saying the saffron party's “conspiracy against Gandhi was exposed”. He added, “The Modi government and the people of BJP should do the work for which they have got the mandate. He has failed for a decade to keep his promises.”
Also read: Rahul Gandhi eligible to return to Parliament as early as Monday
Kharge further hailed the apex court's decision and said, “The Constitution, democracy and the common people of India have won.”
“Satyameva Jayate! We wholeheartedly welcome the decision of the Supreme Court. The citizens of Wayanad have won. The loud voice of common people will again echo in the temple of democracy. Rahul Gandhi has become a symbol of truth and courage,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“…The struggle on the questions of the public will continue till the Parliament and the road,” the Congress President added.
The Supreme Court's three-judge bench of justices B R Gavai, P S Narasimha, and Sanjay Kumar on Friday stayed Rahul Gandhi's conviction in the 2019 ‘Modi surname’ defamation case and restored his status as a member of Parliament. "No reason has been given by the trial judge for imposing maximum sentence, the order of conviction needs to be stayed pending final adjudication," the bench said.
Also read: ‘Satyameva Jayate’: Priyanka Gandhi hails SC relief for Rahul in defamation case
The top court was hearing a plea by Gandhi challenging the Gujarat High Court verdict which had dismissed his plea seeking a stay on his conviction.
In 2019, a BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi had filed a criminal defamation case against Gandhi over his "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remark made during an election rally in Kolar in Karnataka.
