After Surat, Patna court summons Rahul in defamation case

A special MP/MLA court in Patna on Thursday reportedly summoned Rahul Gandhi in a defamation suit similar to the Surat case in which the Congress leader was last week sentenced to two years in jail.

The Patna court has summoned Gandhi to record his statement on April 12 in a defamation suit filed against him by senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi. The Congress leader is currently on bail in the case.

Meanwhile, Sushil Kumar Modi expressed hope that Rahul Gandhi will get "adequate punishment" by a court here which has "summoned" the latter next month in connection with a case lodged by the former.

In a video statement, Sushil Modi disclosed that the MP/MLA court in Patna has asked Gandhi to appear in person on April 12 in connection with the petition lodged by the BJP leader following the then Congress president's controversial speech at Karnataka in 2019.

"Gandhi has been summoned for recording of statement under Section 317 CrPC. I am confident that like the court in Surat, the court here will hold him guilty and award adequate punishment (adequate punishment)", said Modi.

Modi added "Gandhi and his party believe in dynasty politics and cannot bear the sight of an OBC, Narendra Modi, in the Prime Minister's chair. They, therefore, routinely engage in slander. Only the judiciary can effectively check this tendency".

In his complaint, Sushil Modi had filed a petition before the Special court against objectionable statement by Rahul Gandhi, where he said "How come all the thieves have Modi as a common surname."

Sushil Modi claimed that Rahul abused the backward classes by making objectionable comments.

On March 23, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail by a trial court in Gujarat's Surat in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "why do all thieves have the Modi surname" remark which he made during an election campaign rally in Karnataka's Kolar district.