The criminal defamation case was filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his so-called “Why do all the thieves have Modi as their common surname?” commentary.
Updated – Thu, 3/23/23 at 12:08pm

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Surat: A court in Surat, Gujarat, on Thursday sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in prison in a criminal defamation case brought against him in 2019 over remarks he made with the “surname Modi”.
Chief Justice HH Varma’s court found Gandhi guilty under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code and granted him bail suspended for 30 days so he could appeal to a higher court, said Babu Mangukiya, a lawyer for the Congress leader.
Gandhi was present when the sentence was delivered.
The case was brought against Gandhi for his alleged “Why do all the thieves have Modi as a common surname?” commentary on the complaint filed by the BJP MLA and Former Gujarat Minister Purnesh Modi.
The Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad made the remarks while speaking at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
