In a major setback to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Gujarat high court on Friday dismissed his review petition and refused to stay his conviction in the 2019 Modi surname case. If Rahul Gandhi’s conviction were stayed, he might have been reinstated in the Lok Sabha. The Gujarat high court in its final order on Friday said there are at least eight other criminal defamation complaints pending against Rahul Gandhi.
Justice Hemant Prachchak delivered the verdict and said, “Even after the present case, some more cases filed against him. One such is filed by grandson of Veer Savarkar. In anyway, conviction would not result in any injustice.”
A stay on conviction is not a rule but an exception, the high court observed. It said Rahul Gandhi has been seeking a stay on his conviction on “absolutely non-existent grounds”.