NEW DELHI: A court in western India found opposition leader Rahul Gandhi guilty of defamation for speech he made in 2019 in which he referred to thieves as having surname Modi, and sentenced him two years in prison.

Gandhi was present at court in Surat, city in Gujarat, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state. He was given bail and sentence was suspended for thirty days.

Criminal defamation case was filed against Gandhi by leader of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party after speech during 2019 general election in which he referred to surname Modi and asked how all thieves had surname.

“Court has found Rahul Gandhis comment to be defamatory. Court found him guilty under IPC section 499 read with 500. He has been sentenced to two years in jail,” Ketan Reshamwala advocate for complainant Purnesh Modi said. Gandhi said in court that he had made comment to highlight corruption and not against any community. Gandhi is one of main opposition leaders in country who will go up against Modi when he seeks his third term as prime minister in 2024.

Gandhi’s once-dominant Congress controls less than 10 percent of elected seats in parliament’s lower house and has lost badly to BJP in two successive general elections, most recently in 2019. Modi remains India’s most popular politician by substantial margin and is widely expected to win third victory at next general election in 2024.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 24 2023

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