Modi surname case: Supreme Court to hear Rahul Gandhi’s plea against Gujarat HC order on July 21 | India News
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on July 21 an appeal of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi challenging the Gujarat high court’s July 7 verdict which dismissed his plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Mishra agreed to hear the plea after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Gandhi, sought listing of the appeal on July 21 or July 24.
The bench said it would hear it on July 21.
Purnesh Modi, a former minister in Gujarat government, had filed a criminal defamation case in 2019 against Rahul Gandhi over his “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?” remark made during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.
In his appeal filed on July 15, the Congress leader has said that if the judgment is not stayed, it would lead to throttling of free speech, expression, thought, and statement.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Mishra agreed to hear the plea after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Gandhi, sought listing of the appeal on July 21 or July 24.
The bench said it would hear it on July 21.
Purnesh Modi, a former minister in Gujarat government, had filed a criminal defamation case in 2019 against Rahul Gandhi over his “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?” remark made during an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.
In his appeal filed on July 15, the Congress leader has said that if the judgment is not stayed, it would lead to throttling of free speech, expression, thought, and statement.
