'Modi Surname' Defamation Case: Rahul Gandhi Sentenced to 2 years Imprisonment, Court Grants Bail

New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been found guilty by a Surat district court in a criminal defamation case filed over his alleged 'Modi surname' comment. The court had also sentenced Rahul Gandhi to 2 years imprisonment but after that he was granted bail immediately by the court.

Notably, 'Modi Surname' Defamation Case is 4 years old, about which the court of Surat has pronounced its decision. During the hearing, Rahul Gandhi told the court that he had given this statement during the election rally, which was not given deliberately. Rahul Gandhi has already filed his final statement, in which he said that his mention of Modi surname is only for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and not to defame any other or any particular community, besides, as far as he knew, there was no community named Modi.

Rahul Gandhi said during a rally in Kolar, Karnataka before 2019 Lok Sabha elections, "How come all thieves have the surname Modi?" After his statement, BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi registered a complaint. In April 2019, BJP's Surat West MLA Purnesh Modi filed a complaint against Gandhi under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC. Purnesh Modi had alleged that Rahul Gandhi, while addressing an election rally, defamed the entire Modi community by saying that Modi is the common surname of all thieves.