Rahul gets bail in defamation case, next hearing on April 13
Darpan News Desk IANS, 03 Apr, 2023 11:17 AM
Surat, April 3 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was sentenced to two years in prison in a criminal defamation case, was granted bail extension by a sessions court in Gujarat's Surat on Monday. The court will hear his appeal against conviction in the case on April 13.
Earlier, the former president of Congress, arrived in Surat to file the appeal in sessions court against a lower court's order that found him guilty of criminal defamation. The charges stemmed from a remark he made in April 2019 while campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka's Kolar.
The court accepted Gandhi's petition and scheduled it for a hearing on April 13. However, he also faces another deadline to vacate his official residence in New Delhi, which was allotted to him as an MP, by April 22.
During his campaign, Gandhi stated that "all thieves have Modi surname", equating Prime Minister Narendra Modi with fugitives like Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi. On March 23, a lower court in Surat found him guilty of defaming the entire Modi community in a case filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi. The former Congress president was subsequently disqualified from the Lok Sabha under a rule that bars convicted MPs from holding Lok Sabha membership.
Gandhi was given the maximum 2-year jail term for his offence, but the sentence was suspended for 30 days for him to file an appeal against the order. If the conviction is not overturned, he will be disqualified from contesting elections for the next eight years.
After the uniform of the Rajya Sabha staff was changed to military-style outfit, it led to an outrage among retired officers who sought an immediate action.
Sikh activists on Monday protested outside the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) office here against the DSSSB chairman and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The number of Indians studying in the US increased by almost three per cent over the last year to 202,014, -- the sixth consecutive year marking such growth.
On a personal search of the passenger, four pieces of gold were recovered -- two concealed in the pockets of his trouser and the rest in his rectum -- the statement issued by the customs department said.
To make the marriage memorable, a groom instead of riding a horse, as per the tradition, to the bride's place, hired a helicopter to reach the wedding venue in Gangapur city in Rajasthan.
