Ahmedabad: Rahul Gandhi’s plea filed in the Gujarat High Court seeking a stay on the Surat court’s verdict in which he was found guilty in the defamation case was completed today. The hearing will continue on May 2. After Justice Geeta Gopi withdrew from hearing the petition, Justice Hemand Prachhak heard the case.
Senior advocate Manu Abhishek Singhvi appeared for Rahul. He argued in the court that no evidence regarding the disputed statement has been produced in the court yet. A ruling in Rahul’s favor is essential if he is to avoid disqualification from the current Lok Sabha membership.
The Surat Sessions Court rejected Rahul’s plea seeking a stay of the Magistrate’s Court order finding him guilty. With this, Rahul approached the High Court.
The hearing on the appeal against the two-year prison sentence will begin only on May 20. If the judgment is stayed, Rahul will get his MP seat back. Otherwise, things will move towards the Wayanad by-election. In 2019, Rahul had said that all thieves are called Modi while campaigning for the assembly elections in Karnataka. The case pointed out that this is an insult to the Modi community.
