The Supreme Court of India is set to hear an appeal by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on July 21. The appeal challenges the Gujarat High Court’s refusal to stay his conviction in a defamation case related to a comment he made about the ‘Modi’ surname.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Gandhi, requested an urgent listing of the case before a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud.
“Seeking a Friday or Monday date,” Singhvi stated, to which CJI Chandrachud responded, “List this Friday.”
The case in question revolves around a remark made by Gandhi during an election rally in Karnataka’s Kolar constituency in 2019. He had said,
“Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi. How come all the thieves have ‘Modi’ as a common surname?”
This comment linked Prime Minister Narendra Modi with fugitives Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi.
Purnesh Modi, a former BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), took exception to Gandhi’s speech, claiming that it humiliated and defamed individuals bearing the Modi surname. The magistrate court in Surat upheld Modi’s contention, stating that Gandhi had intentionally insulted people with the ‘Modi’ surname.
In his 168-page judgment, Judge Hadirash Varma noted that as a Member of Parliament (MP), Gandhi’s words carry significant weight, and he should have exercised restraint.
Following the magistrate court’s decision, a sessions court in Surat dismissed Gandhi’s plea seeking suspension of his conviction. The High Court also refused to grant relief, leading to the current appeal before the Supreme Court.
In his plea to the apex court, Gandhi argued that the High Court’s order “has no parallel or precedent in the jurisprudence of the law of defamation in India.” He further contended that the High Court’s approach was to mischaracterize his one-line statement as ‘very serious’.
The case continues to unfold, with the Supreme Court’s hearing set for July 21.