Even though the ruling BJP dubbed the presence of senior Congress leaders in Surat as “tactics to pressurise the judiciary,” Rahul Gandhi had a massive show of strength backing his attendance at the Surat sessions court on Monday.
The court admitted the application and adjourned the matter for further hearing on April 13. It also suspended the two-year sentence till the main petition is disposed of.
A Surat magisterial court, had on March 23, convicted him in a 2019 defamation case. The 52-year-old former Congress president’s main appeal sought the setting aside of the Magistrate order, and two additional applications seeking a stay on conviction as an interim order till the main petition is disposed of, and suspension of the two-year prison sentence as an interim order.
Senior Advocate RS Cheema represented Rahul Gandhi in the sessions court.
It may be recalled that Gandhi, convicted on March 23, stood disqualified from the Parliament on March 24. On March 26, he was served a notice to vacate the official MP bungalow he has occupied since 12 years.
Legal eagles and Opposition leaders have both been vocal in expressing their surprise at the “bullet train” speed in which the matter progressed. Added, while the party has been in a huddle mulling the next legal step, Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi’s case alleging defamation in the same case, has been renewed. RaGa has been summoned before a Patna court in the matter on April 12.
The Congress leader arrived in Surat around noon to be present in court while appealing a stay on the conviction in a criminal defamation case. RaGA was accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi. Extending their support to the convicted leader, chief ministers of Congress-ruled states – Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Sukhu, Chhattisgarh’s Bhupesh Baghel, and Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot – were also present. Party veterans Abhishek Manu Singhvi, former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat and Jairam Ramesh, were also present to lend moral support.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma had, on March 23, convicted Gandhi and sentenced him to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case. It held 52-year-old Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500. The court had also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to appeal in a higher court.
Earlier on Sunday, RaGa is reported to have met his mother and former party president Sonia Gandhi ahead of the court appearance. He was accompanied by his brother-in-law Robert Vadra.
Meanwhile, Monday also saw a show of Opposition unity in Delhi with DMK’s second “Social Justice Conference.” The event witnessed participation from nearly all major Opposition parties with representatives joining in from Trinamool, AAP, TRS, BRS, NCP, DMK and the CPI(M), among others.
Orchestrated by DMK’s supremo and Tamil Nadu CM, MK Stalin, the event will prove instrumental in gathering all regional players under a consolidated umbrella to fight BJP in the 2024 General Elections.
