In a fresh setback to Rahul Gandhi, a special court in Jharkhand on Wednesday rejected his plea to be exempt from appearing in a hearing on the 'Modi surname case' - over which he was convicted by a Gujarat court in March and subsequently disqualified from the Lok Sabha.
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This comes a day after the Gujarat High Court refused Rahul Gandhi interim protection over his conviction in the 'Modi surname'-criminal defamation case in that state. The ex-Congress chief had sought a temporary stay on his conviction till the High Court ruled on his petition.
Gandhi had moved the high court in prime minister Narendra Modi's home state to challenge a Surat sessions court order denying his plea to stay the 'Modi surname' case conviction.
He was represented by party colleague and senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who argued the offence for which Gandhi had been sentenced did not involve 'moral turpitude' but the consequences of denying him a stay on the verdict could be irreversible.
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"In the case of a public servant or a legislator, it has very serious additional irreversible consequences - to the person, the constituency, and also drastic consequences of re-election," Singhvi said, referring to a potential bypoll for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which was Rahul Gandhi's till he was disqualified.
{{/usCountry}}"In the case of a public servant or a legislator, it has very serious additional irreversible consequences - to the person, the constituency, and also drastic consequences of re-election," Singhvi said, referring to a potential bypoll for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which was Rahul Gandhi's till he was disqualified.
{{/usCountry}}The 'moral turpitude' argument was countered by advocate Nirupam Nanavaty, who was appearing for the complainant - BJP leader and ex-Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. "When you say all Modis are thieve... is it not moral turpitude? What message are you giving to the world? That an opposition leader brands his PM as a thief before thousands?"
The Jharkhand case was filed at a MP/MLA court in capital Ranchi by a Pradeep Modi.
The opposition leader has been sentenced to two years in jail for his comment at an election rally in Karnataka in 2019, in which he referred to wanted fugitives Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, and asked voters 'how come all thieves have Modi surname in common...'
He appealed the verdict at the sessions court and then approached the Gujarat High Court, where Justice Hemant Prachchhak will deliver his verdict after the summer vacation.