Indian opposition chief Rahul Gandhi has been sentenced to 2 years in jail in a felony defamation case for remarks he made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname throughout an election rally in 2019.
Gandhi, who was current within the native court docket in Modi’s dwelling state of Gujarat when the sentence was pronounced Thursday, has been granted bail.
The sentence was suspended for 30 days to permit him to attraction, a lawyer representing Gandhi stated.
The defamation case was filed by a lawmaker of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Purnesh Modi (no relation).
At the 2019 rally within the southern state of Karnataka, Gandhi had rhetorically requested why “all thieves” had Modi as their surname, in keeping with the Times of India newspaper and different native media.
Well identified on the time was the case of Nirav Modi, a diamond tycoon who was charged with fraud and embezzlement, and Lalit Modi, former chief of the Indian Premier League cricket event, who was accused of corruption.
The BJP lawmaker filed the grievance within the court docket in Surat within the western state of Gujarat quickly afterward, saying Gandhi had maligned holders of his surname and his neighborhood.
The court docket’s verdict comes round a yr earlier than India is because of maintain parliamentary elections in April-May 2024 when Prime Minister Modi is predicted to hunt a 3rd time period.
The two-year sentence could disqualify Gandhi from the Lok Sabha or decrease home of parliament the place the Indian National Congress celebration chief has been constantly elevating points criticizing the Modi authorities.
Congress celebration attorneys stated appropriate authorized procedures had not been adopted within the case and Gandhi will attraction in opposition to the decision.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
