The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi challenging the Gujarat High Court’s verdict in a defamation case. Gandhi’s plea sought a stay on his conviction over his Modi surname remark. The bench, comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Mishra, has scheduled the hearing for July 21.
In his appeal filed on July 15, Gandhi argued that if the judgment is not stayed, it would have a detrimental impact on free speech, expression, thought, and statement. He maintained that failure to stay the high court verdict would contribute to the erosion of democratic institutions and democracy itself.
The criminal defamation case was filed by Purnesh Modi, a former minister in the Gujarat government, in 2019. The case was in response to Gandhi’s remark during an election rally in Karnataka on April 13, 2019, where he questioned the prevalence of the surname Modi among thieves.
In summary, the Supreme Court will hear Rahul Gandhi’s appeal against the Gujarat High Court’s verdict in a defamation case. Gandhi seeks a stay on his conviction over his controversial Modi surname remark. The appeal argues that such a conviction would impede free speech and weaken democratic institutions. The hearing is scheduled for July 21.
