Big Win for Rahul as SC Stays Conviction | A Look at Timeline of Modi Surname Defamation Case

In a major win for Congress, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in the Modi surname case enabling him to return to the Parliament and also fight elections. Appearing for the senior Congress leader, advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued before the court that the senior Congress leader’s comments on the Modi surname are not an offence against society.

“It’s neither rape nor murder and yet maximum punishment?” Singhvi asked.

Last month, the Gujarat High Court had dismissed Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction in the case.

Here’s a timeline of the defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark on the Modi Surname during a speech during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka –

• April 13, 2019: Addressing an election rally in Karnataka’s Kolar, Rahul Gandhi said, “Why all the thieves, be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi, have Modi as the common surname?” His statement created a political stir at the time.
• April 15, 2019: BJP MLA from Surat Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case against the Congress leader for his remark.
• July 7, 2019: Rahul Gandhi, for the first time, appeared before Surat metropolitan court for the hearing of the case.
• March 23, 2023: The Surat metropolitan court pronounced its verdict and sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail after holding him guilty in the defamation case.
• March 24, 2023: A day after the Surat Court’s judgement, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament.
• April 2, 2023: The Congress leader challenged Surat metropolitan court’s order in a sessions court in Surat along with an application seeking a stay to the conviction. The case is still pending.
• April 20, 2023: The Surat sessions court granted bail to Gandhi but refused to stay his conviction.
• April 25, 2023: Gandhi filed a revision appeal before the Gujarat High Court against the lower court order.
• July 7, 2023: The Gujarat High Court dismissed Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction in the criminal defamation case.
• July 15, 2023: The Congress leader moved to Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat High Court verdict in the case.
• August 4, 2023: The Supreme Court stayed Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in the Modi surname case paving the way for him to return to the Parliament.