Surat (Gujarat): A Surat court on Thursday convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed against him in 2019 over his ‘Modi surname’ remark. A court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Verma convicted Gandhi under section 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace.
Rahul Gandhi was present in the court when the verdict was pronounced. He reached Surat this morning. A case was registered against Rahul Gandhi over his remark, in which he allegedly said, “Kyun sabhi choron ka time Shyaman Modi hi hota hai?” Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi has filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi’s remarks.
Gandhi, a Lok Sabha member from Wayanad, made the alleged remarks at a public meeting held in Karnataka’s Kolar ahead of the 2019 general elections. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Verma heard arguments from both sides last week and fixed March 23 as the date of verdict.