Rahul Gandhi in Surat court today against conviction; top Congress leaders to join. 10 points

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was recently disqualified as Lok Sabha MP, will be in Gujarat’s Surat on Monday to file an appeal in a sessions court against his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remarks.

Several top Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are reportedly to accompany him to the court.

Rahul Gandhi in Surat court: Top points

1. Rahul Gandhi’s lawyers said the Congress leader will seek suspension of his sentence by the sessions court.

2. Gandhi is likely to land in Surat around 2pm. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress Rajya Sabha member KC Venugopal and other senior party leaders will also be in Surat. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are also likely to be in the Gujarat city.

3. On Monday morning, former Congress president and the mother of Rahul Gandhi arrived at his residence.

4. On March 23, the court of chief judicial magistrate HH Varma in Surat had convicted Gandhi, 52, and sentenced him to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his “Modi surname” remarks.

5. The next day, the former Congress president was disqualified from the Lok Sabha.

6. Following his disqualification, Gandhi would not be able to contest elections for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction and sentence.

7. The case was filed against the Congress leader on a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi for Gandhi’s alleged remarks “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?”

8. Gandhi made the remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019, during the Lok Sabha elections campaign.

9. “We are confident that the appeals court will appreciate blatant errors of trial court and do justice expeditiously,” said Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Singhvi, who is supervising and advising the legal team on the appeal.

10. On behalf of Gandhi, senior counsel RS Cheema will appear in the court on Monday.