Surat: The Gujarat high court lifted the stay on a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi filed by former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi in a Surat court last year over Gandhi’s alleged remarks regarding the Modi surname.

Last year, Modi had approached the HC seeking a suspension of the trial court’s proceedings and a quashing of the lower court’s decision not to adjourn the case against the Congress leader. Modi withdrew the request, and the court lifted the stay that was ordered in March 2022.

The trial is based on Gandhi’s comments during an election rally in Kolar in 2019, where he allegedly made derogatory remarks about people with the Modi surname. Modi submitted three CDs as evidence, but the trial court rejected his request to make Gandhi personally explain their contents under section 313 of the CrPC.

However, Modi has now informed the high court that the suspension order has been causing delays in the trial, while there is sufficient evidence on record to proceed with the case. DeshGujarat