'Modi Surname' Remark: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been found guilty in a defamation case for a statement he made in 2019 during a rally in Karnataka.
In his speech, Rahul made a derogatory remark questioning "why all thieves have the surname Modi,".
The statement was considered an insult to the entire Modi community, and a case was filed against Rahul by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi.
After four years, Gujarat's Surat court has convicted Rahul Gandhi in this defamation case.
After the court pronounced the verdict, Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to a two-year jail term.
On April 13, 2019, Rahul Gandhi made a statement at an election rally in Kolar, Karnataka, questioning why all thieves have the surname Modi, referring to Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This statement led to a criminal defamation case being filed against him by BJP MLA and former minister Purnesh Modi, who alleged that Rahul had defamed the entire Modi community.
As per Rahul Gandhi's lawyer Kirit Panwala, the final arguments of both parties were heard by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Verma last week, and the verdict was scheduled to be pronounced on March 23.
At the previous hearing, the counsel for the complainant BJP MLA had presented evidence in the form of a CD and pen drive containing Gandhi's Kolar speech to the court, arguing that the Congress MP had made comments about the Modi surname and that his statements had defamed the community.
After campaigning during the Gujarat assembly elections held in December, this is Rahul Gandhi's first visit to the state.
Congress had only won 17 out of 182 seats in the elections, marking its worst performance since 1960.
