New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi gets bail in the defamation case in the Surat Court. The hearing in the case challenging his conviction in the criminal defamation case will next be held on May 3. He was earlier convicted in the case and sentenced to two years, which was followed by him losing his membership in the Parliament.
District Order put a stay on his conviction order and his bail has been extended till April 13. Rahul Gandhi and several other Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi reached Surat for the hearing of the case.
Defamation case | Surat Sessions Court extends Rahul Gandhi’s bail till April 13, the next date of hearing in the case pic.twitter.com/Orvny11Wpl
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2023
Rahul filed an appeal to challenge his conviction in the District Court and reportedly a notice has been issued to the lower court for the details of the order.
As the Disqualified MP returned from the court after filing the appeal, he was spotted waving at the people who came to support him.
#WATCH | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waves to the crowd as he leaves from District Court, Surat after filing an appeal against his conviction in the defamation case pic.twitter.com/0BmWTMAW0k
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2023
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel also joined Rahul in Surat. Gehlot also said that the party is doing a ‘satyagraha’ for the country and they trust the judiciary. On the other hand, BJP leaders including Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Anurag Thakur called it a drama and a political tactic to put pressure on the judiciary.
He was convicted of defamation for a speech where he called ‘all Modis’ thieves while mentioning the names of Lalit Modi, Nirav Modi and PM Narendra Modi. Defamation cases for that speech have been filed in several other courts as well and the order by the lower court invited a political discourse in the national politics.
