Hyderabad: Congress workers in Hyderabad burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to protest the Gujarat High Court’s order rejecting Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on conviction over his ‘Modi surname’ remark.
Speaking to media persons, party leader Rohin Reddy accused the BJP government of misusing the defamation law to target Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
He clarified that the protest was not against the Gujarat High Court or its orders but against the BJP’s ‘brazen misuse’ of the law. He said that the BJP’s motivation for targeting Rahul Gandhi is clear: “They are afraid of his growing popularity. Rahul Gandhi is a fearless leader who has been speaking truth to power, and the BJP is trying to silence him.”
He remarked that Rahul Gandhi’s message of “Daro Mat” (Do Not Fear) has resonated with the people, and their support for him has been growing steadily, particularly after the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
In a setback for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Gujarat High Court on Friday upheld the Sessions Court’s order and denied a stay on his conviction in the defamation case against ‘Modi surname’ remark.
Gujarat High Court had in May reserved its order on Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction in the 2019 ‘Modi surname’ defamation case.
The court had refused to grant any interim relief to Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress leader had moved the Gujarat High Court on April 25 challenging the Surat sessions court order which declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case.
The Surat sessions court had on April 20 rejected Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction by the lower court in the criminal defamation case.
In his judgement, Additional sessions judge Robin P Mogera had cited Gandhi’s stature as an MP and former chief of the country’s second-largest political party and said he should have been more careful.
He cited prima facie evidence and observations of the trial court and said it transpires that Rahul Gandhi Gandhi made certain derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi apart from comparing people with the same surname with thieves.
Judge Mogera said the surname of the complainant in the case, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Purnesh Modi, is also Modi. “…the complainant is [also an] ex-minister and involved in public life and such defamatory remarks would have certainly harmed his reputation and caused him pain and agony in society,” he said.
He cited the disqualification criteria under the Representation of the People Act and added that removal or disqualification as MP could not be termed irreversible or irreparable loss or damage to Gandhi.