Rahul Gandhi to attend hearing in a defamation case in Surat court filed by a BJP lawmaker Purnesh Modi
The former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is heading for Surat, Gujarat on Thursday to attend a court’s hearing in a case filed by an opposition lawmaker against him. This defamation case filed against him by the BJP MLA pertains to an objectionable statement made by Rahul Gandhi during an election rally in 2019 in Kolar, Karnataka in which while addressing a massive public meeting he had ridiculously questioned as to why all those involved in money laundering ( monetary thefts) carry surname Modi.
Taking an extremely serious view of this statement, the Bhartiya Janata Party lawmaker from Surat West constituency has filed defamation suit against the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi accusing him of insulting the entire Modi community. On Thursday the hearing of the case is due in which Rahul has been summoned to be present in the court. The case registered against Rahul Gandhi were under sections 499 and 500 of Indian Penal Code.
According to the president of the Gujarat Congress Committee, the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will head for Surat on Thursday morning and may hold meeting with the Congress leaders n workers. Gujarat Pradesh Congress chief Amit Chauda said that Rahul Gandhi will reach Surat at ten O clock and after attending the Court proceedings will come to Delhi. Though his visit is purely for the purpose of his attendance in the court but if need be he may interact with party leaders and workers briefly.
Kindly recall that on 13 th April 2019, the former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi while enthusiastically addressing a well attended rally in Kolkata Karnataka during the Lok Sabha election campaign in favour of Congress candidates had ridiculously asked as to why Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi etc are carrying Modi Surname etc? thus casting serious aspersions of PM Narendra Modi, thus amounting to denigration of his image n reputation.
The Surat West lawmaker of BJP Purnesh Modi has taken an extremely serious view of this statement terming it as an insult to the entire Modi community and had filed a defamation case in a local court in Surat against Rahul Gandhi in which the latter has been summoned on Thursday.
It may be recalled that in 2019 Rahul Gandhi had tendered an unconditional apology in the Supreme Court over his jibe ” Chowkidar Chief Hai”, in connection with the Rafale episode linking the supreme court after the judgement on Rafale.
He used to usually use this jibe against PM Modi in his various public meeting during the 2019 general election campaigns as well. In this case Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had attributed the jibe “Chowkidar Chor hai’ after the honourable supreme court judgement on Rafale allegedly linking the top court.
Gandhi had then filed a fresh affidavit in the apex court seeking unconditional apologies stating that he holds the supreme court in highest esteem and has requested closure of the contempt proceedings against him terming his jibe as unintentional and Inadvertantly linking to the highest court.
The deponent unconditionally apologises for the wrongful attributions to the Hon’ble court said Rahul Gandhi in his affidavit.
Earlier Gandhi had expressed regrets but the chief justice Ranjan Gogoi asked him to tender complete apology for linking the court.