Modi surname remarks: Gujarat court holds Rahul guilty in criminal defamation case

Surat: A court in Surat in Gujarat on Thursday convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his “Modi surname” remarks.

The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma held Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code section 504, which deals with intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace.

Gandhi was present in the court when the verdict was pronounced.

The case was filed under IPC sections 499, 500 (for criminal defamation), and 504 on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. These sections invite a jail term of up to two years or fine or both.

The case was filed against Gandhi for his alleged “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” The Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad made the remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The court had last week concluded hearing final arguments from both sides and set March 23 to pronounce its judgment in the four-year-old defamation case. PTI KA PD BNM .

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