Rahul Gandhi To Be MP Again As SC Stays His Conviction In 'Modi Surname' Case

The Supreme Court in an interim order stayed the conviction of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the criminal defamation case over the 'Modi surname' remark on Friday.

There is no doubt that utterances are not in good taste, the person in public life is expected to exercise caution while making public speeches, said a three-judge bench of Justices B R Gavai, P S Narasimha and Sanjay Kumar.

While granting relief to the Congress leader, the apex court observed that the ramifications of the trial court's order are wide. "Not only was Gandhi's right to continue in public life affected but also that of the electorate who elected him," it noted.

It further stated that no reason has been given by the trial court judge for imposing maximum sentence, the order of conviction needs to be stayed pending final adjudication. The Lok Sabha speaker can now revive his membership on his own or Gandhi, armed with the apex court order, seek restoration of his status as an MP.

SC told Purnesh Modi's original surname is not Modi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told the Supreme Court that the original surname of former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi, who filed a defamation case against him, is not Modi and he belongs to the Modh Vanika Samaj.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Gandhi, told a three-judge bench of Justices B R Gavai, P S Narasimha and Sanjay Kumar that his client is not a hardened criminal and there is no conviction in any case despite several cases filed against him by BJP workers.

The top court was hearing a plea by Gandhi challenging the Gujarat High Court verdict which dismissed his plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark.

Purnesh Modi had filed a criminal defamation case in 2019 against Gandhi over his "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remark made during an election rally in Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.

In March, the Parliament disqualified Gandhi as a lawmaker after a Surat court found him guilty of defamation and sentenced him to two years in prison, according to a parliament notice.