India’s top opposition leader convicted of defamation against Premier Modi

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - A local court in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Thursday sentenced Rahul Gandhi, the main opposition Congress party leader and member of parliament, to two years in prison in the criminal defamation case against India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The verdict was announced in the presence of Gandhi by Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma in Surat city of Gujarat, Modi's home state.

The same court, however, granted Gandhi bail and suspended his sentence for 30 days so that he could seek relief from a higher court.

The case was filed against the Congress party leader for his alleged remark that “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?”

The complaint was filed by Purnesh Modi, a state legislator from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his alleged remarks while addressing an election rally in the southern state of Karnataka ahead of the 2019 general elections.

“The court awarded two years punishment to Rahul Gandhi and released him on bail for 30 days so that he can appeal against the verdict in a higher court,” Ketan Rehamwala, Purnesh Modi's lawyer, told reporters outside the court.

After the verdict, Gandhi took to Twitter and quoted Mahatma Gandhi, “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence the means to get it."

Gandhi is a scion of India's most famous political dynasty, having been the son, grandson, and great-grandson of former prime ministers. However, in the last two general elections, his party was crushed by the Modi-led BJP.

Earlier this year, he traveled from the south to the north of the country in a nationwide march to challenge Modi, who is seeking a third consecutive term next year.