27-04-2023 : The Gujarat High Court will hear Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s appeal on April 29 against the order of the Surat sessions court, which denied a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark. The appeal will now be heard by Justice Hemant Prachchhak.
On April 26, when Gandhi’s lawyer mentioned the case before Justice Gita Gopi, she recused herself from the hearing. The metropolitan magistrate’s court in Surat had sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail after convicting him in a 2019 case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party’s Gujarat MLA Purnesh Modi. Following the verdict, Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament. A stay on the conviction could potentially pave the way for his reinstatement.