Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today reserved its order on the plea of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is seeking a stay on his conviction in a defamation case over Modi surname remark. The verdict will be announced after the High Court’s vacation.

Refusing to grant any interim relief to Rahul Gandhi, the bench of Justice Hemant Prachchhak announced that it will deliver the final decision after the summer break. May 5 is the last working day for the High Court, and it is scheduled to reopen on June 5.

The bench heard the arguments presented by Senior Advocate Nirupam Nanavaty, representing the complainant Purnnesh Modi, and Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Rahul Gandhi. Senior Advocate Nanavaty contended that Rahul Gandhi cannot claim an irreversible loss since Parliament, as he was not disqualified by the Court or the complainant, but by a law passed by Parliament.

On March 23, a Surat court sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail for criminal defamation under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code. The case was filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Purnesh Modi after Gandhi made the statement, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?” during an election rally in Karnataka in 2019.

On April 3, Gandhi’s lawyer submitted two applications to the sessions court: one for bail and the other for a stay on conviction pending his appeal, along with his main appeal against the lower court’s order. Although the court granted Gandhi bail, his request for a stay on conviction was denied. DeshGujarat