Rahul Gandhi’s plea challenging conviction in ‘Modi surname’ case dismissed by Surat court

• A sessions court in Surat on Thursday dismissed Rahul Gandhi's plea challenging his conviction by a lower court for defaming the "surname Modi"
• Gandhi will now appeal to the Gujarat High Court
• The district court also sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail for defamation filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi

A sessions court in Surat on Thursday dismissed Rahul Gandhi's plea challenging his conviction by a lower court for defaming the "surname Modi". Gandhi will now appeal to the Gujarat High Court.

Gandhi was convicted by the Surat District Court on 23 March in a criminal defamation case for the Congress leader's "How come all thieves have Modi as their common surname" remarks during a rally in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The district court also sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail for defamation filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi. As a result of the verdict, the Wayanad MP was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on 24 March.

The Congress leader's remarks sparked a major political row as the BJP accused him of insulting the entire Modi, OBC community in Gujarat, while Gandhi claimed that his remarks were directed at specific individuals and not a minority.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he again accused him of favoring industrialist Gautam Adani, claiming that the billionaire's wealth had grown "magically" after the BJP came to power at the Center in 2014.