Rahul pleads not guilty in Surat defamation case
AHMEDABAD: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday pleaded “not guilty” in a defamation case filed against him in a Surat court over a purported remark about Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run up to the April-May Lok Sabha elections, his lawyer said.
Addressing a public rally at Kolar in Karanataka on April 13, Gandhi was reported to have said: “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi, they all have a common surname. How come all thieves have Modi as common surname?”
The purpoted reference was to jewellery designer Nirav Modi and former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi, who are both wanted in different cases of financial irregularities.
Gandhi was summoned by the magistrate court based on a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Surat (West) legislator Purnesh Modi, who contended that Gandhi had defamed the entire Modi community.
After pleading not guilty, Gandhi on Thursday sought permanent exemption from future court proceedings in this case, his lawyer Kirit Panwala said.
“The plea [defamation suit] was filed in Gujarati. I translated it in the court after which he [Gandhi] pleaded not guilty. We then moved an application for permanent exemption from appearance,” Panwala said.
The court, which set December 10 as the date of reply to the application, said the former Congress president was not required to be present in court for that hearing.
Gandhi said that his “political opponents” were “desperate to silence” him.